Photo By Staff Sgt. Rory Featherston | Sgt. Devin Pisani, an unmanned aircraft systems repairer and maintenance team chief...... read more read more
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SHOALWATER BAY TRAINING AREA, Queensland, Australia – U.S. Army soldiers with D Company, 25th Aviation Regiment based in Ft. Wainwright, Alaska, conducted real-time maintenance operations and unmanned aerial vehicle UAV flight training alongside their Australian military counterparts July 6, 2017, during Talisman Saber 17. The U.S. Army UAV operators demonstrated various capabilities of the MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aerial vehicle, one of many unmanned aerial systems used within the U.S. military.
“We’re anticipating the newer operators within our unit will learn how to operate the Gray Eagle system as close to general flight safety standards as possible, so they can operate the UAV system as safely as possible while working with other manned aerial traffic in the area,” said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jonathon Potter, a tactical unmanned aerial vehicle operator and platoon sergeant for 1st Flight Platoon, D Co., 25th Aviation Regiment.
According to Potter, Talisman Saber 17 gives the company an opportunity to practice international flight regulations that aren’t standardized within the U.S.
“Joint-environment opportunities aren’t available often in the U.S.,” Potter said. “Since this training isn’t available in the states for us, this is a prime opportunity for them to learn a different set of rules, international flight rules we may not get to practice often stateside.”
Potter stated that the conditions at Williamson Air Field, similar to combat zones overseas, also presented unique challenges for many of the UAV operators in the unit.
“This is an austere environment; normally UAVs like these would be put into an airport or a similarly built-up area with concrete and solid runways,” Potter said. “Here, our challenges are learning to operate out of a taxiway that is made of gravel, versus reinforced concrete that we are used to using.”
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Randy McIntire, an unmanned aircraft systems repairer with D Co., 25th Aviation Regiment, stated that the training gained at Talisman Saber 17 would be used within the unit after they returned to Alaska.
“The biggest experience our unit is gaining is the opportunity to see how other countries work with these UAV systems,” McIntire said. “We see how they operate, and we can incorporate their methods into our standard operating procedures, which will really help us improve ourselves.”
Talisman Saber 17 provides realistic, relevant training necessary for the U.S.-Australia alliance to maintain regional security, peace and stability, as well as a concerted effort to further enhance joint capability and proficiency to respond to crises as part of a joint or combined effort.
| Date Taken: | 07.06.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 07.21.2017 20:39 |
| Story ID: | 240519 |
| Location: | SHOALWATER BAY, QUEENSLAND, AU |
| Web Views: | 96 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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