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The silent protector
By Capt Cameron Jamieson
Edition 1174, September 6, 2007 |
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| Eagle eyes: Bdr Michael Konig, a Mission Commander, with one of the surveillance aircraft before a mission |
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| Insitu and Boeing Australia contractors prepare the UAV for a mission |
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| Ready for take-off: A UAV sits on its launch catapult at the Australian/Dutch base at Tarin Kowt. |
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| Bdr Michael Konig and Bdr Matt Dutton, an Air Vehicle Operator, manoeuvring the UAV in support of ground troops |
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UNDER the cover of darkness the Taliban fighters dug swiftly into the dusty ground beside the rutted track that led to the crossing point on the Tiri River.
When they were satisfied the hole was long and deep enough they gently lowered in the IED, barely daring to breathe in case their unstable homemade device detonated in their hands.
They carefully backfilled and camouflaged their deadly trap and, pleased with their work, scurried back to their mountain observation post, oblivious of the Australian Army UAV that silently videoed the whole event from high above them.
UAVs have become a highly-demanded intelligence asset in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
After establishing a capability using a smaller model of UAV in Iraq two years ago, the Australian Army has now deployed the high-tech ScanEagle UAV to Afghanistan in support of coalition forces in the Oruzgan province.
CO 20 STA Regt Lt-Col Philip Swinsburg recently deployed to the NATO base at Tarin Kowt where the bulk of Australia’s troops in Afghanistan are stationed. There he oversaw the introduction of the ScanEagle into the skies of Oruzgan.
“The ScanEagle UAV is manufactured by an American company called Insitu, which is contracted to us from Boeing Australia,” he said. “We have some contractors from both companies working for us who undertake maintenance tasks and assist with some technical aspects, but our Army operators do all of the flying here.”
The ScanEagle was originally designed to be operated from ships, which is why it is launched from a catapult and recovered using a cherry picker fitted with a bungee cord. It flies into the cord, which slides along the wing and catches in a wingtip snare. The cord arrests the UAV’s momentum and then the aircraft is lowered to the ground.
Lt-Col Swinsburg said the UAC was “a 24-hour capable system that allows us to give the guys on the ground a lot more confidence in where they are going”.
“If there is an incident we can usually be on the scene very quickly. We pass information to both the commander at the scene and back to headquarters so that everyone understands what’s going on and they can react to the situation better,” he said.
“We’ve had a lot of success already, such as spotting people planting suspected IEDs and observing Taliban troop movements, and the feedback we are getting is very positive.”
The secret to the ScanEagle’s success is its stealth and optics. Powered by a whipper-snipper- size engine, the improved muffler system makes the aircraft practically silent at altitude.
The UAV’s 4m wing span and haze-grey paint scheme almost make it invisible. Its high-zoom optics with day and night capability give its operators an excellent view of what’s happening on the ground as the ScanEagle cruises above.
A few hundred metres from the launch pad in the air-conditioned comfort of the control room, Bdr Michael Konig said he didn’t regret transferring to UAV operations.
“I started off at 20 STA as a meteorology and surveying specialist before I switched over about two years ago to UAVs,” he said. “It’s a fantastic job flying an aerial vehicle. You can see what’s happening on the ground and help the boys do their job by providing real-time information that can save lives.”
The flight crew for a UAV mission consists of the Air Vehicle Operator (AVO), who manoeuvres the UAV, and a Mission Commander (MC), who operates the optics and retains overall control of the air vehicle.
“I get situation reports from higher command and have the UAV moved around accordingly,” Bdr Konig said. “There must be close coordination between the AVO and MC, because the air vehicle will crash if you don’t work together.”
As the ScanEagle was a rapid-acquisition project for the ADF commitment to Afghanistan, there was also a rapid training regime conducted in the US to prepare the operators for their deployment.
“We went to the US for two months to conduct intensive UAV training with Insitu,” Bdr Konig said. “There was a lot of flight time involved and you needed to stay focused.”
He said the UAV team in Afghanistan “have been doing a fantastic job” and its work “helps keep the whole place safer”. |
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