[12.26.05]
Soldier Pilots
UAVs in the US Army's New Modular Combat Brigade
by Dodge Billingsley
(Published in The Journal of Electronic Defense (JED), January 2006.)
When the 3rd Brigade of the 101st Air Assault Division deployed
to Iraq in late October 2005, it contained more unmanned-aerial-vehicle
(UAV) assets than any combat brigade in US Army history. Among the
many warfighting tools at his disposal, brigade commander Colonel
Michael Steele has both the Shadow and Raven UAV platforms to give
him a bird's-eye view of the battlefield with near-real-time imagery.
His brigade is not unique, but the 101st is the first division with
Shadow platoons in all four brigades and Ravens in every company.
Shadow 200 designates the entire tactical UAV system, including
four RQ-7A unmanned aircraft and the accompanying ground-control
components. The Block 1B is the current version being flown and
came off the line last year. It is powered by a gas-burning Motto
Guzzi engine and is launched off a 30-ft. rail at 130 mph. It has
a flight ceiling of 15,000 ft., although the Shadow platoon expects
to operate it between 5,000 and 7,000 ft. Its detection and surveillance
capability includes an electro-optic (EO) system supplemented by
thermal/infrared (IR) imagery for night- and low-light-vision via
the Plug-in Optronic Payload (POP 200), basically combining daylight
color TV with a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor. The Shadow
delivers imagery intelligence (IMINT) providing a 10-digit grid
of the battlefield below.
A Shadow UAV prepares to launch. The US Army's
Shadow platoon falls under the recently renamed
Special Troops Battalion (STB), part of the newly
transformed modular 3rd Brigade of the 101st Air
Assault Division.
While the Shadow platoon is charged to fly and monitor the UAV in
flight, control of the Shadow can be turned over to operators at
the brigade's tactical operations center (TOC) or any other location
at any time during the mission, assuming the other location has
a remote terminal. Currently, no weaponized versions of the Shadow
exist, likely due to its limited payload. However, there has been
work to integrate a target designator to guide ordnance from other
platforms to their targets.
It takes five Humvees to carry the Shadow package, although the
entire system is designed to be transportable in a single C-130.
There is basic redundancy of systems – two of everything.
There are five birds in total: three operational, a spare, and then
a spare for the spare, which the platoon refers to as the "hanger
queen."
The Shadow platoon falls under the recently renamed Special Troops
Battalion (STB), part of the newly transformed modular brigade.
The STB was created last year and includes, among other units, military
police (MPs), intel assets, and a UAV platoon. Each UAV platoon
is supposed to have 22 soldiers when fully operational – a
warrant officer, platoon leader, platoon sergeant, 13 qualified
air-vehicle operators (AVOs) or pilots, mission-payload operators
(MPOs), and maintenance personnel – although CPT Gourley,
the 3rd brigade's UAV platoon leader, admits he will deploy to Iraq
two pilots short of a full platoon.
Members of the Shadow platoon come from various Military Occupation
Specialists (MOSs) – field artillery, communications, and
infantry. SGT Brenner used to be a 31-Charlie, or radio operator,
"about as basic como as you can get, and I wasn't satisfied
with that job, so when it came time for reenlistment, I reclassed
and came in as a 96-Uniform [Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operator]
to Fort Huachuca."
The Shadow UAV system includes a total of five birds:
three operational, a spare, and then a spare for the
spare, which the platoon refers to as the "hanger queen."
SFC Baker is a former infantryman who was looking at an early discharge
because of a medical condition, went before a medical board, reclassed
to a different MOS, and found his way into the Shadow platoon. He
now considers himself fortunate to be in the UAV platoon and is
looking forward to his specific mission in Iraq. None of the pilots/operators
expected to fly or work with UAVs, since the position didn't exist
when they entered the Army.
SGTs Brenner and Baker received their Advanced Individual Training
(AIT) for 26 weeks at Black Tower, the location of the UAV schoolhouse
at Ft. Huachuca, AZ, where training with the Shadow and Hunter UAV
takes place. They also received two months of additional training
at the Redstone Arsenal facility near Huntsville, AL, with other
platoon members.
SGT Brenner is the standards pilot for the platoon. "The standardization
pilot is pretty much in charge of all training areas that our platoon
is involved in, making sure that all of our pilots are current and
they're up to all the different 1000-, 2000-, 3000-level tasks designated
by the commander," he explained.
It is his job to evaluate all the pilots in the platoon. The Army
requires that he and the other pilots operate the Shadow at least
once every 90 days or they fall "out of currency" and
have to re-qualify. Regulations and procedures allow each pilot
to make one flight simulation count as a flight, but they must fly
the actual Shadow within the second 90-day period. "If a pilot
is outside of 90 days flying a Shadow, he's considered non-current
and goes down to what is called RL-3, which is the readiness level
of 3. That means you have to take evaluative flights, and you have
three months in order to achieve RL-2, at which point you have another
three months to achieve RL-1. An RL-1 is a pilot who is ready to
fly with no one else in the back seat evaluating them," said
SGT Brenner.
Because of the need to reserve the airspace, the
Shadow is not a quick-reaction-force asset. The real
benefit of the Shadow is the ability the UAV gives the
brigade commander to get his own "eyes on target"
without having to fight for airtime on other platforms
like the Predator.
CPT Gourley and his pilots expect some growing pains operating a
new system in a hostile environment. The platoon has had limited
ability to integrate the Shadow system into their brigade training
operations. The UAVs were sent directly from Redstone Arsenal to
the brigade's staging area in Kuwait, instead of returning to Ft.
Campbell, KY, with the Shadow platoon, so they did not train a single
day with the brigade prior to deployment.
The primary means of communication with the Shadow is line-of-sight
(LOS) communications. Being able to operate at a higher altitude
means the Shadow will not fall victim to the obstruction of signal
from which lower-flying UAVs might suffer in an urban environment
of tall buildings and telecommunications towers, but potential loss
of LOS will be a factor.
The sound of the Shadow's Motto Guzzi engine is another concern.
According to the Army, more than 20 UAVs were shot down in Kosovo
in 1999 and more, including Shadows, have been downed in Iraq and
Afghanistan by alert enemy ground forces. Despite these considerations,
CPT Gourley is not overly concerned: "In open terrain, in the
countryside, people below would hear it, but in the cities, the
urban landscape, with lots of city traffic, it is unlikely that
people would notice it overhead." In any case, labels posting
a reward for the return of the UAVs to coalition forces are plastered
on the sides of the Shadow and the Raven in an effort to minimize
aircraft loss in the event one does go down due to hostile fire
or mechanical issues.
However, some units within the brigade are benefiting from the noise
factor. According to Shadow platoon members, psychological-operations
(PSYOPS) units have recorded the sound of the Shadow and broadcast
it in an effort to make the enemy think one is overhead, in an effort
to deter insurgent strikes.
Unlike the Raven UAV, which is intended to sustain a
hard landing (basically a crash) by breaking into seven
shock-absorbing pieces that can be re-assembled in
about five minutes, the Shadow lands just like a normal
airplane.
Flying in a crowded skies environment is perhaps the greatest challenge
to the Shadow. Without any form of aircraft-avoidance system, word
among the platoon is that there has been at least one case where
a UAV struck the tail of a Blackhawk helicopter in Iraq, nearly
causing the helo to crash. Standard operating procedure for the
Shadow is to schedule a flight 72 hours in advance, reserve a slot,
and then push out. Traditionally, an operations officer at the brigade
level will work out the air-tasking order.
According to SGT Brenner, they are treated "just like a manned
aviation plane. We have to coordinate airspace through air-traffic
control, and we have officers that pretty much do that for us. But
when we're flying, we're still in constant contact with air-traffic
control."
Because of the need to reserve the airspace, the Shadow is not a
quick-reaction-force (QRF) asset. Conceding that the Predator and
other UAV assets will be tasked for theater-wide targets at a higher
echelon of command, the real benefit, according the Shadow platoon,
is the ability the UAV gives the brigade commander to get his own
"eyes on target" without having to fight for airtime on
other platforms like the Predator.
The inability to quickly adjust the flight path in a fluid battlefield
environment is compounded by the fact that UAVs are still under
Air Force flight-plan constraints and requirements. Coordination
with the Air Force is a time-consuming process, thus negating the
potential benefit of having a tactical UAV at the brigade level.
To overcome this obstacle, CPT Gourley hopes – in a best-case
scenario, at least – "to have the Shadow more or less
tasked to be in the air as much as possible in support of ongoing
operations. The Shadow can then be re-tasked in the air to cover
any contingency that might be necessary." He envisions at least
one mission to "track vehicles to do area searches and road
searches looking for IEDs [improvised explosive devices] and things
of that sort. We're really good at route recons and smaller-level
things like that."
The Raven
The Raven, much smaller and more agile than the Shadow, and referred
to as a man-portable UAV, is deployed at the company level for company-
and battalion-level operations. Soldiers selected to be Raven pilots
did not attend the UAV course at Ft. Huachuca. Their training began
at Redstone Arsenal. Unlike the Shadow, the Raven is hand launched
and intended to sustain a hard-landing – basically a crash
– by breaking into seven shock-absorbing pieces that can be
re-assembled in about five minutes, according to trained operators
from both Charlie and Delta infantry companies (1/187).
Each Raven system comes with two birds, a tough notebook computer,
and a small video recorder. Although small, it requires multiple
rucksacks, and SGT Singleton from Delta Company anticipates the
Raven will be staged from a Humvee or other vehicle. Each system
is designed to be operated by two soldiers, one a trained Raven
pilot and the other trained by the Raven pilot. "We can't be
in two places at once, so when we are launching, he [the second
soldier] might make sure all the computers are tracking, as well
as other additional duties."
The Raven operator is not a specialist but rather whomever the unit
can use. Like many of the Raven operators in his class at Redstone
Arsenal, SGT Singleton was a forward observer prior to this assignment.
He isn't certain, but he thinks there may have been only one 11-Bravo,
or infantry soldier, in his class. The rest were all forward observers
like him. He believes his previous MOS – to call in fire for
mortars, close-air support (CAS) and close-combat attack (CCA) –
is advantageous to his new assignment and perhaps the reason he
was picked to operate the Raven. Utilizing forward observers also
helps the Army adjust its needs to the situation on the ground in
Iraq. Soldiers from all MOSs have been asked to pull basic infantry
duties, and there is little need for artillery soldiers in Iraq.
Unlike the Shadow, which is launched by rail, the Raven is simply
thrown into the air. It might seem easy enough, but according to
another operator, SGT Singleton is the only one in his class that
never crashed one during training launches. "If you throw it
too low, it's not going to get enough air to fly. You throw it too
high, [and] it's going to get too much air and just fall straight
down," SGT Singleton explained.
Another Raven operator confirmed this: "It looks easy when
they show you – but as soon as you flip your wrist, that thing's
just going to go straight into the ground."
To teach Raven pilots to throw the bird, instructors at Redstone
Arsenal made all of the soldiers practice with baseball bats. "If
you are having a hard time throwing, they'll take you to throw the
bats for an hour. The concept is to hold the bat at the point where
the shaft starts to narrow and throw it so the bat has no spin on
it at all," said SGT Singleton.
One month prior to deployment in Iraq, the Ravens were brought out
to the 101st's home base at Ft. Campbell for a one-day refresher
course and to demonstrate the UAV's capabilities to the brigade
command staff. However, there has been no additional training with
any brigade assets regarding how the Ravens will be used in the
area of operations.
The Raven is not a panacea for eliminating the fog of war. Like
the Shadow, it is controlled by a line-of-sight signal. It isn't
possible to fly it around a corner, view what is on the other side,
and then act accordingly. "If you got a building in the way,
if you can't see it, then it's not going to get signal, and you
might lose link," SGT Singleton warned. The Raven is equipped
with an onboard internal navigation system or GPS and can be programmed
to go back to a designated grid once the link is lost until line
of sight is restored and signal can be regained.
Altitude and distance are also factors. It is supposed to have a
range of up to 10 km, but SGT Singleton claims that, in his limited
experience, the actual operational range is more like 5 km before
the link becomes compromised. "Power lines and all that stuff
interfere with it," he said. Another pilot noted they get about
one hour of flight time before they must retrieve the bird.
The Raven also operates with a directional antenna, "so you
have to actually point the antenna in the direction of the aircraft
& or it is going to lose signal," according to SGT Singleton.
The versions Charlie and Delta companies will field are limited
to only four frequencies, "so they can be jammed if a certain
frequency is used, [and the lack of frequencies] can interfere with
you so you can lose link even when you're not out of range."
Other pilots acknowledge that, for whatever reason, during their
training, flying over water caused them to lose link with the bird.
There are two camera positions on the Raven – one mounted
in the nose and another on the side. The Raven can handle both EO
and IR cameras, but the IR camera is heavier, so the pilot must
choose which view he wants to operate from and then insert the camera
into either the side or front viewing position before flight. SGT
Singleton prefers to use the front-mounted camera, but another operator
from Delta Company prefers the side-mounted image, because it allows
him to circle the target area and keep eyes on target without having
to overfly the area, turn around, and overfly it again. SGT Singleton
concedes that lack of experience is the real issue: "In real
life, we'll have to see how it turns out – if I like the side
look better or if I like the front look. I've never really done
a real mission on it."
The Raven's camera generates an eight-digit grid, yet the accuracy
of its imagery has been questioned, and as a result, a secondary
grid has to be generated from another observation platform. According
to a Delta Company operator: "It's not cleared to fire off
the grid you get from a Raven, so they send somebody else out there
just to verify that was actually the grid to the target, and then
they could fire &. They said sometimes it was accurate, sometimes
it was off, but I think that will be the next generation –
being able to actually get target location on something from the
camera itself."
Like the Shadow, the Raven's feed can be sent right to the company
or battalion commander. "You can also get a remote viewing
terminal, so we're flying it, and our commander wants to see it.
He can have a remote terminal set up either at his truck or where
he is, and you just face it in the direction we're supposed to be
flying. He can pick up our signal and see what we see," according
to one Delta Company pilot.
SGT Singleton envisions brigade use as well. "If you have the
remote set up in the TOC, which is something they were talking about,
and hook it up to a TV or whatever inside the TOC so that the colonel
or whoever wanted to watch, there's potentially three people watching
the same video," he said.
SGT Singleton acknowledges that Raven doctrine is very much in flux
and that uses for the Raven haven't been clearly identified yet.
"I can't tell you much about what we're going to do with it,"
he said. "I know they plan on using it. I know each company
is supposed to be getting one, but as far as plans for the Raven
once we get over there, we haven't discussed anything like that."
Taking cues from previous Raven operations in Iraq, SGT Singleton
sees the Raven as the perfect way to overfly and see a designated
patrol route before a patrol leaves the forward operating base (FOB).
It is also an anti-IED asset that can patrol the roadways from the
safety of the FOB or another secure position, looking for physical
changes in the landscape or road that might indicate the placement
of an IED intended for US patrols.
The Raven isn't as noisy as the Shadow, but according to Charlie
and Delta Company operators, they intend to fly it between 2,000
and a few hundred feet off the deck. To do so, without detection,
they have practiced turning the engine off and letting the bird
glide over the target, take the image, and then turn power back
on. As SGT Singleton explained: "Let's say, from a distance,
you see somebody out there. Then you can just let it glide through
the air. Then once it gets past whatever you're trying to look at,
slowly turn the power back up for it to gain altitude again."
But one operator from Delta Company is cautious. "It just takes
a lot of altitude," he said. "You've got to get real high,
and then you turn off your engine, but you've got to be really close
to get really good video. The lower you get, the better picture
you get, the more you risk. It can only go so low before you have
to turn the engines back on."
Just as with the Shadow, the biggest obstacle to using the Raven
in tactical operations will potentially be its priority position
in a crowded skies environment. SGT Singleton and other pilots anticipate
incorporating a third soldier as a radio operator to monitor the
airspace issue, because, SGT Singleton said, "every time you
fly it, there is going to be restriction with the air-traffic control."
Standard operating procedure mandates that Raven operators submit
a flight plan 24 hours prior to desired departure, which is two
days less than the Shadow requirement. Still, the necessary protocol
robs the Raven of any quick-launch capability. According to one
Delta Company operator: "It is kind of the same thing we faced
as forward observers. We've got to sit and wait before we can actually
do something."
SGT Singleton said he thinks that "the chain of command is
going to get pretty fed up, because if something happens, they're
going to want [to] get the bird over there, and I think they're
going to get frustrated by just how long it takes for us to get
airspace coordination unless there's a way that we find out we can
get airspace coordination really quick by the end. That's going
to be the biggest drawback for our commanders who want something
quick, and we have to actually go through all these steps to get
it accomplished."
There is at least one additional perk to being a Raven or Shadow
operator. Just before deploying, back at Ft. Campbell, one of SGT
Singleton's fellow operators used his Raven Pilot ID card to get
the aviators' discount at McDonalds.
The Shadow TUAV System
• 4 Air Vehicles (AV)
• 2 Ground Control Stations (GCSs)
• 2 Ground Data Terminal (GDTs)
• 1 Portable Ground Control Station (PGCS)
• 1 AV Transporter (AVT)
• 1 AV Launcher (LAU)
• 2 Tactical Automated Landing Systems (TALSs)
• 4 Remote Video Terminals (RVTs)
Shadow Air Vehicle Specifications
• Length: 11 ft., 4 in.
• Width: 14 ft.
• Height: 3 ft., 2 in.
• Payload weight: 40 lbs.
• Takeoff weight: 375 lbs.
• Endurance: 5.1 hrs.
• Airspeed: 70-110 knots
• Altitude: 15,000 ft. (mean sea level)
• Fuel: 44 L
• Range: 50 km
Raven Air Vehicle Specifications
• Length: 3 ft., 7 in.
• Wingspan: 4 ft., 3 in.
• Weight: 4.2 lbs.
• Speed: 60 mph
• Ceiling: 15,000 ft.
• Endurance: 80 min.
• Range: 10 km
• Propulsion: Aveox 27/26/7-AV electric motor
You can also view this article at the Journal of Electronic Defense:
http://www.edefenseonline.com/
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