Intelligence Soldiers train to provide view of battlefield
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Soldiers from the 101st Military Intelligence Battalion, slide a tactical unmanned aerial vehicle on to its launcher during a practice run at Vilseck airfield Feb. 16 (Photo by SPC Joe Alger, 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs Office).
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Story by: SPC Joe Alger
1st Infantry Division PAO
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany - While infantry and armor Soldiers conduct maneuvers and exercises at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Soldiers from the 101st Military Intelligence Battalion, hoped to lend a hand from Vilseck with the aid of a Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Feb. 16.
A TUAV is an unmanned aircraft designed to support tactical commanders with near-real-time images and videos of a battlefield.
Its the only imagery intelligence systems a brigade commander has direct control of, said CPT Jimmy Gaw, C. Co., 101st MI commander. Hes the one who decides where he wants it to go. Its the most responsive intelligence system he has.
Our brigade commander wanted to make sure we flew (the TUAV) in support of live-fire ranges by providing footage of the objectives, Gaw said.. The TUAV is supposed to provide real-time footage of the battlefield to the battalion S-2, and enable him to give intelligence for the situation.
Unfortunately, harsh weather conditions prevented the TUAV from taking off on this particular day.
When this particular model was fielded, it came straight from Ft. Huachuca, AZ to Iraq, so this is the first time its been used in a cold environment, Gaw said.
According to SPC Robert Hartung, C. Co., 101 MI TUAV maintenance specialist, the cold conditions can cause several problems for this model of TUAV.
Its not made for extreme cold, he said. The carburetor freezes and it cant fly in a lot of rain because the propeller spins so fast, even rain can chip it.
Fortunately, these issues will be a thing of the past once 101MI receives a new model of TUAV in late March.
The new model will have significant upgrades, allowing it to fly in more extreme weather conditions, Gaw said. In addition to that upgrade, Gaw said the new model will have the capabilities to do much more than provide pictures and videos of the battlefield, thanks to a laser range finder.
Once the TUAV flies over an area, the laser range finder works by pointing at a specific object or point and providing very accurate grid coordinates to the commander.
Despite not being able to fly the TUAV, Gaw has confidence in his crew of TUAV operators and maintenance technicians due to their vast amount of experience.
Every single one of these Soldiers went to OIF II, Gaw said. Were the most experience TUAV platoon in Europe.
Hartung is one such Soldier who gained valuable experience working with TUAVs in OIF II at Forward Operating Base Warhorse, Baqubah. We did about four flights a day, he said.
Hartungs responsibilities as a maintenance specialist during that time, according to him, included recovering the aircraft when it lands and doing everything from changing spark plugs to changing the entire engine.
While they can only hope for the weather to change in the near future, the 101MI Soldiers still stayed sharp on their respective jobs by doing simulated runs with the TUAV and performing all their usual pre-flight checks and maintenance before making sure it was running effectively by putting it on the launcher and running the engine. They will also continue to attempt to fly the TUAV every chance they get.
Well try every day, Gaw said. Its a continuous mission.While TUAVs help commanders make decisions more effectively, SSG Lucas Johnson, C. Co., 101MI TUAV operator said the most rewarding aspect of the job is helping other Soldiers.
My favorite part is doing this job downrange and being able to help the Soldiers on the ground, he said (Story by SPC Joe Alger, 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs Office).