UAV/UAS

[Flash]

I'm of the opinion that UAS AVO is a great option for post-first-tour NFOs. Flying pretty much any big UAS except the Preds requires a lot of aviation knowledge, but not so much stick-rudder skills....As an AVO I sat in a box and drove planes around by computer and radio, which is more or less exactly what I did as an E-2 guy. Pretty much the only justification for insisting on rated pilots as AVOs is to make the general public and FAA feel better about drones in controlled airspace.

I've seen some pointed criticism of the Predator/Reaper 'cockpit' setup and how labor-intensive is, apparently the opposite of the HOTAS concept.

Army doesn't require rated pilots...

A side effect of that is they are mowing lawns instead of training to 'fly' their aircraft, it sort of encapsulates big Army's attitude towards aviation in general.

One proposal that has been bandied about but not taken seriously yet is reintroducing Warrant Officers into the USAF to populate the UAV pilot ranks. I think it would be a great idea but I doubt it flies with our brethren in light blue.

 

[Ralph]

Wow 12 hours a year!!!! I thought the Army was still deploying a bunch. I love that they don't address the side duties and Qol as a reason people hate drones.

 

[Swanee]

Are the Marines happier than the AF peeps?

Eh. Happier is a relative term. Like I said, we're losing our Lts at the cyclic rate. They don't want to stick around. A lot of that has to do with what our METL says and what we're really capable of/what big Marine Corps has equipped us with. We have the METs of a group 5 UAV that we are supposed to meet with our 135lbs group 3 asset.

They also see a lot more opportunity to support Marines on the ground from AF units that with Marine squadrons (which is absolutely true). Their buddies they went to the RPA flight school with are shwhacking shit heads with Reapers and Preds, and we're fucking around with the MQ-21, a group 3 airplane that is quickly becoming the F-35 of the UAV world. Deployment opportunities are limited, as it is cheaper to contract group 2 and 3 UAV support rather than send our own units.

We'll see what the future holds.

 

[Treetop Flyer]

MQ-21, a group 3 airplane that is quickly becoming the F-35 of the UAV world

You guys are the well funded, too big to fail, cutting edge way of the future?

 

[Swanee]

You guys are the well funded, too big to fail, cutting edge way of the future?

For the Marine UAV world, yes. 800 million in development thus far to produce an airplane in LRIP that doesn't stack up to it's predecessor, but has been promised to be the wave of the future. It's going on the 22nd MEU because it has to. Nevermind the fact that its NATOPS is still in draft, it's software is full of bugs, it's breaking in places it wasn't supposed to... the list goes on. We need to get out of the Group 3 business and into the group 5 immediately.