Sgt. Christopher Harris was conducting a routine reconnaissance mission in
Kunar Province, Afghanistan, in 2009 when the PUMA UAS he was operating
showed nearby, real-time footage of insurgents planting a roadside bomb
along a U.S. Army convoy route.
"We saw them putting in the IED planted in the road. They were holed up in
and coming in and out of a house twenty meters away from the dirt road we
were traveling on. I watched them for 20 minutes," Harris said, recollecting
the incident. "These guys had set an IED two kilometers away from us, and
they were waiting for us to drive by for what looked like a planned
IED-initiated ambush."
The Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) sensors on the PUMA UAS showed live,
real-time images of the insurgent activity on Harris' laptop-like display
screen and antenna, a One System Remote Video Terminal (OSRVT) able to give
him advance warning of the nearby threat his convoy was approaching.
The PUMA UAS is a 13-pound, portable, hand-launched unmanned system with a
wingspan of 9.2-feet and EO/IR sensors able to beam back real-time imagery
from nearby combat-relevant locations.
Due to the UAS technology, Harris was able to pinpoint the exact location of
the insurgents and the house they were operating out of to within five
meters. Then, after carefully checking the area to ensure there were no
nearby civilians or additional structures, Harris called in a 155m artillery
strike, destroying the house and ensuring safe passage for his unit's
convoy.
"I was able to observe rounds directly hitting the target. During our battle
damage assessment, we saw that the house was destroyed. EOD [Explosive
Ordnance Disposal] teams were then called in to deal with the IED,"
explained Harris, who was serving as an infantry Soldier with the 2nd
Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wa.
There have been hundreds, if not thousands of instances similar to this
throughout the last ten years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, wherein UAS
technology has been proven to bring a game-changing, life-saving capability
to forces in combat; in fact, the number of UAS in theater has grown
exponentially since the start of the wars, expanding from a handful of
systems in 2002 and 2003 to more than 4,500 UAS aircraft in service today.
The UAS systems currently being used span a range of capability, from
larger, medium-altitude systems such as the Gray Eagle and Shadow to small,
hand-launched UAS such as the Puma and Raven systems.
In each instance, UAS provide commanders and infantry engaged in conflict
with critical Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) assets,
providing electronic "eyes" able to spot danger over a hill or around a
corner, thus keeping more Soldiers out of harms' way.
"I am able to tell my Lt. if we are about to go up a hill...'let's toss a
bird up there and see what we've got, just a quick Recon without sending
anybody up. If there is nothing dangerous on the mountain, we proceed. Using
UAS in this way saves time and energy by not sending Soldiers up there - and
you save lives by not endangering somebody," Harris explained.
UAS are a dominant weapons system on today's battlefield, said Warrant
Officer Mike Gray, a UAS program manager.
"We go everywhere and provide overwatch. We can put a UAS up 3,000 feet to
watch a convoy. We often fly our UAS missions along routes after
route-clearance missions have gone through to make sure routes remain safe
for convoys," said Gray.
Also, UAS such as the Shadow provided overwatch security during the Iraqi
elections in January, 2009 ensuring important historic activities could not
be sabotaged by insurgent attacks, said Staff Sergeant Catalina Avalos, an
NCO with the Washington National Guard.
"We provided 24-hour overwatch on site to be sure there was no insurgent
activity, no IEDs being planted and no suspicious occurrences. In some
instances, we have been able to see actual personnel digging holes for IED
and laying down the wires," Avalos explained.
Avalos added that if the Electro-Optical cameras do not specifically catch
insurgents in the act of planting an IED, UAS infrared sensors can detect
temperature changes in the ground, thus often determining that a roadside
bomb has recently been planted.
"We are able to see a difference in ground that has been freshly dug, versus
something that has been there a while. So, when you see that, you then have
EOD units go to the site to verify if it is, in fact, an IED," Avalos said.
"UAS are one of those types of weapons system that have just revolutionized
combat in ways that are unbelievable. Commanders now know almost everything
that goes on in their battelspace. We fly aircraft longer than enemies can
stay awake."
UAS also assist with what is called "Negative Terrain Analysis" wherein
operators look to see whether elements of the terrain have changed, Avalos
added.
Avalos said many of her skills using UAS in combat were sharpened during a
six-month training course for UAS operators at Fort Huachuca, Ariz.
While UAS operators have a slightly different role compared to UAS
maintainers, every student learns every skill during training so as to
ensure students are aware of all the nuances involved in UAS deployment. UAS
training spans the entire gamut of activity, from systems engineering, UAS
sensors, deployment and interference training, Avalos explained.
"I graduated from UAS training in 2008. I love this career and would not
trade it for the world. I loved coming out of the schoolhouse and going down
range because everything I learned in the school house could be applied down
range. Lives were saved down range," said Avalos.
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