Our People in the ACT
BDR Michael Konig - Calwell's eagle eyed pilot
Bombadier Michael Konig, 23, is a Mission Commander serving with the Australian Army Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Detachment at the International Security Assistance Force base at Tarin Kowt in Oruzgan Province.
The former Lanyon High School and Tuggeranong College student has spent the last five years in the Army. Initially serving as a meteorology and surveying specialist, he changed jobs two years ago to become an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operator. "It's a fantastic job flying an aerial vehicle," he said. "Using its stabilized video camera you can see what's happening on the ground and help our soldiers by providing real-time information that can save lives."
After establishing a capability using a smaller model of UAV with Australian forces in Iraq two years ago the Australian Army has now deployed the high-tech ScanEagle UAV to Afghanistan in support of troops operating in the Oruzgan province.
The ScanEagle is virtually a stealth aircraft. Powered by a whipper-snipper size engine, the UAV's modified muffler system means the aircraft is silent above 1000 feet. The ScanEagle's small four-metre wing span and haze-grey paint scheme make it almost invisible, and its high-zoom optics with day and night capability give the air vehicle operators an excellent view of what's happening on the ground as the ScanEagle cruises aloft for up to 15 hours.
As the ScanEagle was a rapid-acquisition project there was also a rapid training regime conducted to prepare the Australian soldiers for their deployment. "We went to the US for two months to conduct intensive UAV training," Konig said. "It was quite hard, but if you stuck with it you got through. There was a lot of flight time involved and you needed to stay focused, as it's easy to get fixated by what's on the ground. You need to pay attention to keeping the air vehicle flying correctly because if you stuff up it's going to come down."
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."
Konig said his parents back in Calwell give him plenty of support and encouragement while he serves in Afghanistan . "My parent's are happy for me, they know what I'm doing over here is helping the ground troops over here," he said. "They have always been supportive of my military career - they encouraged me to join because my grandfather was a Lieutenant Colonel who served in Korea and Vietnam ."