VMU-2 gives ground commanders an eye in the sky
Marine Corps News
Release Date: 4/19/2004
Story by Sgt. Matt Epright
AL TAQADDUM, Iraq(April 19, 2004) -- As infantry Marines fight through the streets of Fallujah they have an ally in the sky. They may not be able to see or even hear them most times, but their help is invaluable.
Marine Unmanned Aerial Squadron 2, here all the way from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., has planes airborne 24 hours a day in support of Operation Vigilant Resolve and helps commanders on the ground gather a more complete picture of the field of battle.
The Pioneer, an unmanned aerial vehicle piloted by members of VMU-2, can assist with everything from forward aerial reconnaissance, to artillery fire adjustment and even search and rescue efforts.
"We support whoever needs our help. When (2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment) went into Fallujah, we were right over top of them. We basically described the whole battlefield to them as they went through," said Lt. Col. Doug M. Hardison, commanding officer of VMU-2.
"The ground commanders seem to really like the fact they can look over that mountain or that hill, 50-klicks down the road, and see who's coming," said Staff Sgt. Renbert B. Ward, chief external pilot, VMU-2.
Ward is one of only four external pilots for VMU-2. His primary job is seeing to the safe takeoff and landing of the planes, as well as piloting the aircraft until it gets out of visual range, which he does using a control box that looks like it came right off the shelf at Radio Shack.
Anderson, a 33-year-old South Carolina native, said that experience with radio controlled planes from his youth "really paid off" when he started flying the UAVs for the Marine Corps.
"The perception of the plane coming at you and going away from you is a totally different perspective than sitting in the cockpit itself," Ward said.
There are three methods for getting the Pioneer airborne; a rolling takeoff under its own power, a shot from a truck-mounted pneumatic launcher like "a giant slingshot," or a rocket-assisted takeoff, which Ward described as "quite spectacular."
Once airborne and out of visual range, the UAV is piloted by internal pilots, working from truck-mounted portable control stations for close range, or longer range ground control stations that are part of the squadron's unit operations center.
Inside the operations center several intelligence analysts view the "real-time" video signal, sent back by the Pioneer's cameras, which can see during day or night on huge projection screens.
From there, the analysts can communicate with commanders and intelligence officers on the ground, using everything from standard tactical phone systems, to an "Instant Messenger" style chat room, that allows everyone involved to talk to each other at virtually the same time.
There are even special ground teams, armed with secure communication systems linked to laptop computers that can download imagery directly from the planes.
According to Hardison, a 42-year-old Dallas native, the operations center is extremely mobile and can be packed away into the back of two trailers.
As advanced as the operations center is, the Pioneer itself has been around since the mid-80s.
Though the Pioneer isn't as new or advanced as its cousin, the Army's Predator UAV, it gets the job done.
"It's been a real workhorse," said Ward.
Keeping this aging workhorse flying true is the job of VMU-2's own intermediate maintenance section, which is able to perform almost any repair on the aircraft, to include complete engine rebuilds.
"To support the Marines in the area we have to make sure we try to maintain (the aircraft) the best we can," said Staff Sgt. James B. Dexter, the staff non-commissioned officer in charge of the squadron's power line.
In addition to maintaining the aircraft, the power line inspects and prepares the UAVs prior to launch and recovers them after landing, said the 30-year-old, Sterling, Alaska native.
The time and care invested will keep the Pioneers flying until the Marine Corps replaces them with more modern UAVs, allowing longer range and a more detailed picture of future battlefields.
While VMU-2 and other units like them in the military are considered by some to be the "future of aviation," Ward said that they are really there to simply take some of the stress off manned aircraft.
"I think we're essential to both the aviation and the ground side of the house. If we can lighten the load on (aviators) ... doing reconnaissance for them, they can focus more on their attack mission," said Ward. "If we can help them out, then that's why we're here."
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