Vandenberg Airmen put eyes in sky

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Stephen Cadette
  • 30th Space Wing Public Affairs
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) --  Somewhere on Vandenberg, two Airmen wearing berets and rifle slings have their heads in a monitor as they fly a remote control plane. The Airmen are demonstrating a new capability for security, surveillance, reconnaissance, battle damage assessment and more, in the form of a four-pound, remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicle called the Raven. 

“This ain’t your model airplane,” said Master Sgt. Timothy Griggs, 30th Security Forces Squadron installation security superintendent. 

The Army is already using the Raven in theater to fly various missions that aid in force protection. They use it to search for improvised explosive devices, to provide reconnaissance and to patrol camp perimeters.

Sergeant Griggs said the small aerial vehicle can accomplish in 15 minutes of air time what it could take people eight hours to do on the ground. That advantage impacts the security for the Missile Defense Agency’s ground-based midcourse defense system. Started 11months ago, the United States' first operational missile defense program is capable of protecting all 50 states.

The UAV meets challenges presented by Vandenberg’s size and complements ground forces' capabilities, offering substantial benefits.

“When we respond in vehicles, bad guys know because they see and hear us coming. Someone trying to breach the perimeter knows where we are and can duck in the bushes when a patrol truck passes,” Sergeant Griggs said. “But with the UAV’s thermal imaging from 700 feet above ground level, we can pick up anything with a heat signal. They wouldn’t even know we knew they were there.”

The UAV puts eyes in the air using one electrical optical and two infrared on-board cameras. This capability allows security forces to respond to intelligence rather than searching blindly.

“If I’m about to engage, I want to know what I’m getting myself into,” said Staff Sgt. Jermaine Ramsey, a UAV pilot and response force leader. “That’s what this can do.”

Sergeant Ramsey is one of eight Vandenberg Airmen trained to operate the system from a ground control unit. Each Airman is dual trained. UAV operation relies on two controllers: a pilot and a mission controller. They work next to each other like a pilot and navigator, and all eight Airmen can fill either role. The two flight controllers feed the UAV with flight information using a combination of hand-held controllers and a laptop computer. 

In turn, the unmanned vehicle sends down live video and thermal images from a monitored area, which are recorded to video for viewing. In the future, the Raven could provide a disaster control group or battlestaff commander with real-time information.

“Someday I hope we can set up monitors in the battlestaff,” Sergeant Griggs said. “That way the commander can see the incident site, and can use the Raven to direct assets in real time.”

The Raven costs about $30,000, with an annual upkeep of $2,500, compared to the $4.7 million price tag on a UH-N1 Huey. It is comparatively silent, and can pick up heat signals 125 feet above ground level in weather that would ground a helicopter. It also keeps Airmen out of harm’s way.

“We’re not looking to replace the helicopter flight,” Sergeant Griggs said. 

Helicopter flights carry out specific missions like wildland fire suppression, forest penetration, water rescue and more.

In the hands of a trained and certified pilot, the Raven interface is operator friendly. The whole package is so easy that one person can launch it by hand. Where large UAVs need space to taxi and land, an operator simply throws the Raven into the air and can land the vehicle without a runway. The pilot brings the Raven down and stalls it a few feet above the ground. The vehicle absorbs the shock of the landing by breaking apart, and can be put back together in minutes.

“I don’t like to use the word ‘crash,’” Sergeant Griggs said. “It’s a very controlled landing."

The Raven has about 45 to 60 minutes of flight time on a battery. The operators can land the Raven, replace the battery and get it back in the air for virtually continuous surveillance.

“This is an outstanding piece of equipment,” said Airman 1st Class Nicholas Schroth, a UAV response force leader. “It’s opened our eyes to a new capability, and we have fun doing it.”  (Courtesy of Air Force Space Command News Service)