FORT STEWART, Ga. — A new chapter in military innovation unfolded last week as Soldiers immersed themselves into a world of cutting-edge technology, drones and systems.
The Marne Innovation Center at Fort Stewart hosted a small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) course for Dogface Soldiers from July 22-26, 2024. The course was led by Building Momentum, a company which teaches the Department of Defense innovative defense technology.
Small unmanned aerial systems have played an increasingly important role in combat in recent years, acting as inexpensive and effective close-range air support. Nations and militants who can’t obtain planes or helicopters can still afford to invest in drone technology, allowing them to support ground engagements from the air. Empowering U.S. Soldiers with this knowledge and capability can greatly improve national security.
The course focused on building and operating drone systems for national defense, with an emphasis on multi-rotor drones in particular.
“We like to take a very hands-on approach to our learning,” said Henry Sullivan, Chief Product Officer for Building Momentum. “You do a little bit of theory and then you either build a drone frame, assemble motors or spend half a day soldering. You get hands on with all of the tech.”
The course adhered to a crawl, walk, run structure. Each day delved deeper into important sUAS knowledge, starting with the basics of drone components and functions, and culminating with flight simulations, aerial maneuvers and complex drone operations.
“We try to look at all of our classes from a student perspective,” said Sullivan. “We try to cater the course to some of those requirements and then ramp up really, really fast.”
The course endeavored to boost both the 3rd Infantry Division’s knowledge and building capabilities of sUAS. It also took inspiration from the ongoing efforts in the war in Ukraine, drawing upon modern combat scenarios and adapting them into comprehensive training.
“As everyone has seen in modern warfare, small UAS is becoming a huge battlefield asset,’ said Capt. Carlos Rodriguez, a student attending the course. “We want to make every one of our Soldiers a builder of UAS and have some knowledge on it so they can employ some of these systems in combat and in training.”
Date Taken: | 07.29.2024 |
Date Posted: | 07.29.2024 14:18 |
Story ID: | 477248 |
Location: | FORT STEWART, GEORGIA, US |
Web Views: | 117 |
Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 3rd Infantry Division takes flight with drone build course, by SGT Jonathon Downs, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.