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HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. - Remotely piloted aircraft have quickly become an indispensable asset for military operations worldwide. They aid in ground troop coordination, installation protection and installation reconnaissance.
Hundreds of RPAs are used daily in support of operations overseas, but an exercise taking place in Florida marks the first time Holloman RPAs have been used in a maritime environment over the Gulf of Mexico. The exercise, known as Combat Hammer, is an air-to-ground operation used as a weapons systems evaluation program for RPAs.
"It tests the aircraft, as well as the people and the equipment," said Capt. Jason Hall, 29th Air Maintenance Unit officer in charge. "I look at it as a stress test for the platform. The thing that's unique about this exercise is that it is the first one where Holloman RPA crews will participate."
Twenty-four Holloman Airmen joined Airmen from Creech Air Force Base, Arizona and Hancock Air National Guard, New York, at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, to lead the transport, setup and teardown of the aircraft.
Combat Hammer took 37 Air Force members and placed them in a scenario with limited support to stand up the aircraft and be prepared to execute the assigned missions.
"There's missions going on around the world at all times, and this is an awesome platform for supporting those missions," said Hall. "It is providing us with experiences that we haven't had before. We can fly an aircraft for 18 hours, without putting a pilot's life at risk. Security comes at a cost and RPAs provide that security at a fraction of the cost of other platforms to the taxpayer."
| Date Taken: | 03.13.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 03.16.2015 14:41 |
| Story ID: | 157104 |
| Location: | HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, NEW MEXICO, US |
| Web Views: | 46 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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