The Big Picture
By COL Thomas von Eschenbach One of the earliest examples of manned and unmanned teaming, now referred to as MUM-T, was during World War II when a B-17 Flying Fortress took off from RAF Fersfield in England headed to Germany closely followed by three chase aircraft. The B-17, designated a BQ-8 robot, was actually a flying bomb with 20,000 pounds of explosives on board designed with the intent of being remotely piloted into a submarine bunker in Germany. The BQ-8 concept was to launch like a normal aircraft with two pilots, reach a cruise altitude of 2,000 feet, arm the...
Learn MoreUnmanned Aircraft Systems – PM UAS Update
By COL Courtney P. Cote First let me start by saying how excited I am to be project manager of one of the more complex project management offices within the Army. The Project Management Office, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (PM UAS) continues to field and sustain our current programs while improving functionality and technology along the way. I have been in position for nearly 90 days, and continue to evaluate and assess current operations and am fortunate to have an exceptional deputy as well as product managers to assist me with the myriad everyday responsibilities that come with my position. The...
Learn MoreUAS Airworthiness: The Importance of Understanding Standards
By Mr. Joshua Preusser Writing an article about unmanned aircraft system (UAS) airworthiness seemed a little odd at first. Like many first impressions, details were missed in that first appraisal. Such occurrences seem to be a recurring theme with UAS. Anyone with aviation experience will likely see them as an aircraft – and not all that different from a manned aircraft given they rely on the same underlying physics. However, airworthiness for unmanned aircraft isn’t as simple as taking manned aircraft airworthiness standards and applying them to unmanned aircraft (UA). Within the Army and industry, we’re still learning the differences...
Learn MoreEye Injury Protection
By Dr. (LTC) Joseph Puskar Proper wear of eye protection not only while flying, but also when working in the shop or at home is of the utmost importance in the prevention of eye injury. Most of us are not always wearing eye protection when we should be. According to a national survey by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, only 35 percent of respondents said they always wear protective eyewear when performing home repairs or maintenance, and even fewer do so while playing sports. Men are more likely to sustain an eye injury due to the types of activities they...
Learn MoreThe Apache’s Sidekick
By SSG Christopher D. Smith In an ever changing battlefield, the demand for the ability to transmit real-time battlefield metadata and video air-to-air/air-to-ground is becoming increasingly important. Some argue that unmanned aviation assets will one day replace our manned aircraft like the Apache; however, the relationship between manned and unmanned aviation systems is much more effective when the relationship is symbiotic. The AH-64E Apache Army helicopter can now deploy with a greatly enhanced tactical advantage on the battlefield. Apache pilots now have the ability to communicate with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to receive and transmit real-time imagery, metadata, and also...
Learn MoreWelcome Back to ARNG Aviation
By COL Mark W. Weiss In our last edition, I described who we are – first conversely – by destroying a few myths, and then by listing a few stats for our organization. In this issue, I’ll tell you where Guard Aviation is headed and how it will get there…a roadmap to readiness and responsiveness. Strategic DirectionOur strategic plan’s main effort will always be to accomplish our “dual-mission” – provide competent aviation units to combatant commanders, and provide timely and capable Aviation support to the governors of the 54 states, territories, and District. Everything else we do is subordinate to...
Learn MoreSafe Riding Doesn’t Just Happen
By CSM Leeford C. Cain Safe driving or riding doesn’t just happen. It’s a byproduct of receiving the right training and education, exercising self-discipline, meeting standards and assessing one’s ability to execute a given task. Since I spoke those words a little more than a month ago, we have closed out another fiscal year. And while accidental losses continue to trend downward, we’re still missing 129 Soldiers from our formations due to incidents that could have been prevented. Of that total, 75 percent of those fatalities resulted from off-duty privately owned vehicle accidents. That tells me that we still have...
Learn MoreTraffic is the Greatest Need for Our Tactical Air Traffic Controllers
By CSM Eric C. Thom While the last decade of deployed operations has stressed our Aviation community, our resilience remains intact. Countless air traffic professionals remain poised to accomplish the next mission, eagerly train and prepare their Soldiers to perform at the highest levels, and continuously seek opportunities to put their technical skills to the test. Maintaining this pace and excellence as we transition out of deployed operations will require a continued modernization of air traffic systems, and a keen understanding and technical competency of complex air traffic environments. The Branch’s effort to modernize tactical systems has provided air traffic...
Learn More150A Air Traffic and Airspace Management Technician
By CW2 Rebecca Pinckney and DAC Brian Swensen The 150A Air Traffic and Airspace Management Technician is an Aviation Branch technical warrant officer specializing in the areas of air traffic services, airfield management, and airspace management. They are present throughout Aviation formations from the company level all the way to the airspace management element in the Army Service Component Command (ASCC) headquarters. The Army made the decision in 2005 to revive the 150A Military Occupational Specialty and the first class graduated in August 2007. The 150A career field reached an important milestone in October when the first group of students...
Learn MoreIs Army Aviation Being Marginalized?
Army force structure is under attack from multiple directions. Army leadership is struggling to keep active end strength from going below 490k and there are some proponents who advocate for numbers under 400k! The Army and Army Aviation wisely embarked on a plan to get out in front of the budget hackers who believe that salami slicing a warfighting force is prudent means for achieving monetary targets. The Aviation Restructure Initiative was created in response to this threat; had it not, the outcome for the Army Aviation Enterprise could have been far worse.Now the latest indignity to occur: the disestablishment...
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