Army Aviation- Unmanned Aircraft Systems

What is this'

The Army operates a fleet of fixed wing unmanned aircraft systems that are critical assets enabling ground commanders to fight and win at the tactical level of warfare. The four basic systems are the Extended Range Multi-Purpose (ERMP or MQ-1C), the Hunter (MQ-5B), the Shadow-200 (RQ-7B) and the Raven (RQ-11B). Army UAS conduct reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA) in the tactical (division and below) battlespace to provide unprecedented situational awareness, flexibility and lethality. These systems operate in concert with ground forces and other aviation systems to achieve greater effects through manned-unmanned teaming. They also perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions to support Corps- and theater-level objectives.

What has the Army done'

On September 11, 2001, when terrorists attacked our nation, the U.S. Army had only three unmanned aircraft system (UAS) companies in its inventory and less than 200 Soldiers to operate them. Today, our Army has in its arsenal more than 1,250 UAS systems with more than 3,800 aircraft being operated by nearly 12,000 trained active Army and National Guard Soldiers. Army UAS have flown over 264,000 combat sorties with a total of 700,000 combat flying hours (87 percent of all Army UAS flight hours) in support of joint and coalition operations.

What continuing efforts does the Army have planned'

The ERMP program will field the first company system in FY11. It will be assigned to the combat aviation brigades of Army divisions and provide dedicated support to assigned brigade combat teams (BCTs), and other Army and joint force units according to the division commander's priorities. To expedite this capability to the warfight, the Army has fielded multiple units that operate pre-production variants of the ERMP in combat. Hunter, assigned to aerial exploitation brigades, conducts RSTA/ISR for echelons above division. Shadow is assigned directly to BCTs and provides commanders with dedicated tactical RSTA. It is typically operated and supported by a platoon of 22 Soldiers. Raven, also assigned to the BCT, but operated by non-aviation Soldiers, provides small units with enhanced situational awareness and increased force protection through expanded reconnaissance and surveillance of marginal maneuver areas. With Raven, which is rucksack portable and hand-launched, leaders at the lowest level now have greater ability to shape over-the-horizon operations with their own dedicated UAS.

Why are these systems important to the Army'

They are saving lives and keeping troops out of harm's way. Through layering these capabilities across multiple echelons, Army UAS provide greater situational awareness and tactical flexibility for ground commanders, enhancing their ability to rapidly assess and respond to threats and changing situations in operations across the spectrum of conflict. This allows them to accomplish the assigned mission without exposing personnel to unnecessary hazards.