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UAVs, not just an Air Force gig anymore
- Thread starter kanakAttack
- Start date
Actually, the BAMS program and the P-8 are supposed to complement each other... so those 108 P-8s are probably going to happen. Also, the Aussies are interested in the P-8 and have signed on to help in the development and do some cost sharing.
Kinda like the MMA hangar in Brunswick..."Yeah...about that...."
I'd still put my money on P-8 though...way to flexible a platform to be killed this easily I think....but what the hell do I know?
I thought that the Predator/Mariner/Reaper offered more flexibility and a more proven asset. But what do I know?
http://www.lockheedmartin.com/products/BroadAreaMaritimeSurveillanceBAMS/index.html
http://www.lockheedmartin.com/products/BroadAreaMaritimeSurveillanceBAMS/index.html
Yeah, I was alluding more to rumors about squadron "re-organisation" a euphemism for going away. Simply an evolution of the current VP trend of pooling assets under the auspices of the Wing, so the squadron (as we know/remember it) concept might be on the verge of extinction in VP-land.
For those who don't know, we have multiple UAV squadrons, mainly working with the Pioneer and Scan Eagle systems. The mission commanders are officers, some air intel guys, some aviators. Pilots fresh out of the Hornet and Harrier RAGs are getting IAs to be mission commanders. The current CO of VMU-2 is a Prowler guy. So it hasn't been been just the AF for years now.
My buddy refers to it as the "Scan Chicken"
....he got a bone job in the Harrier community thanks to a specific CO (Harrier guys probably know the parties involved) and took an IA in Tampastan...directly after his IA with me in Qatar....instead of his second Harrier tour, thinking he was getting out.....well, the way the cards fell, he decided to stay in and accepted the UAV OPSO job to reinvent himself so he can make/retire O-5.
And coming soon to a neighborhood near you in Navy as well.
MQ-8B Fire Scout
MQ-4N Global Hawk
X-47B UCAS-D
ScanEagle (NSW currently procuring them)
Navy is postured to take over lead from USAF in variety/high end UAS and aviators are already in billets at NSW and NECC commands as UAS leads.
MQ-8B Fire Scout
MQ-4N Global Hawk
X-47B UCAS-D
ScanEagle (NSW currently procuring them)
Navy is postured to take over lead from USAF in variety/high end UAS and aviators are already in billets at NSW and NECC commands as UAS leads.
We had a Navy guy in my SERE class who was sent there because he was going to be flying some sort of UAV.
We all appreciated the irony...
We all appreciated the irony...
Obviously the UAV operator isn't in danger of being shot down, but some of the places they work out of are remote and isolated. I know we have some dets at Al Asad, but others that are, well, smaller and don't have as many friendlies nearby. I like to think they would have good security but I don't count on anything being a given.
On an unrelated note, I went through SERE with an OS2 who was going to be a SERE instructor, but...wait for it...had never to SERE. "I didn't even know what SERE was. They told me it was shore duty and I said yes."
On an unrelated note, I went through SERE with an OS2 who was going to be a SERE instructor, but...wait for it...had never to SERE. "I didn't even know what SERE was. They told me it was shore duty and I said yes."
Well said, ..... here is an redacted (OPSEC) email from a friend who is an AeroSpace Engineer, UAV authority, working in Bangalore, India (pay is good!). Sort of related to this post .......
Quote:
(Delete) (owners) came back Friday night last week with the news that we
had to do a demo of our planes in Sri Lanka the next week. Not having flown the planes in a while, we went out on Saturday after staying up until midnight the day before to get them ready.
(delete)
We had to fly to Chennai, India Monday night, because all the flights are
booked from Bangalore to Sri Lanka directly. So Tuesday morning, from Chennai, we head to Sri Lanka. We had hopes of flying this day since we got a morning flight. When we get to Sri Lanka, our paperwork isn't enough for customs to let the UAV's in, and we sit for 5 1/2 hours with no food or water. Finally the Air Force Commander came and got it all through with the wave of his hand.
We stay in Colombo, and get ready to go to the flying site the next
day. We load everything by 6 am, and have 2 vehicles, when we get a call that there is suspicious activity, and we have to switch vehicles. Sri Lanka is
somewhat of a war zone, and we are located in the capital right now, right next to their 2 largest government establishments. Out of all things the rebe ls had been targetting, they had to target UAV's, which we just happen to have 2 of. and after the antics at the airport the day before, a lot of people knew we had them. The beach was covered with gun stations, and had gunship boats out on the water. This was not cool. After 3 hours, another vehicle comes, and we go another 3 hours to the demo site.
Demo day, we arrive, and get everything setup. We do a test flight, and the
thing works great, so far so good. Winds are getting to the airplane's limits,
and getting worse. 1 pm comes, 3 vans full of more brass than a symphony
orchestra arrive and we are now with the DG's, and all these other big
positions in the Army, Air Force, and Navy. This is a little intimidating, we
didn't know there was going to be so many people, it was maybe 20 guest total.
We go to launch for the demo, and on my walk out to throw it, it starts to rain. as our settings at the time. We demonstrate everything, and all looks
good, we land, flawless... We are th rilled, and so are the Sri Lankans, they were quite satisfied with what we had just shown them. So we pack everything up, and head back to Colombo.
On the way, we are told that we need to drop off the UAV at an alternate location, and we cannot keep it in our possession until we leave the country. ........... but it is not good at all considering the price tag we have on these items. We reluctantly give in and drop off the plane in this scary looking place. I was totally ready for rebels to jump out with guns, but it didn't happen luckily. Friday we just chill at the Taj, .......
All UAV jokes aside, the guys sitting in the box in Nevada running the things, are killing terroists, everyday... and for a cost that is almost non-existent.
CWJones411
IRR
We won't be praising the UAVs come Judgement Day.
