First UAS crews graduate from Holloman

  • Published
  • By 49th Fighter Wing Office of Public Affairs
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M --  Eleven unmanned aircraft systems crews from the 432nd Operations Group, Det. 1 graduated during a ceremony at the Raptor's Nest Officers' Club April 10. 

Beginning Feb. 2, instructors at Holloman prepared 11 pilots and 11 sensor operators from a variety of aircraft platforms to support the overseas contingency operations using one of the Air Force's hunter-killers, the MQ-9 Reaper. 

"I thought [unmanned aircraft systems were] just a fad and now it's just taken over," said Maj. Jerry Brown, 29th Attack Squadron, chief of Standards and Evaluation. "It will just keep growing and growing because right now the technology is outdoing the man in the aircraft." 

The intensive training course provided the students with four weeks of classroom training, including systems operations and procedures, as well as six weeks of real-time flight instruction. During flight, a two-man crew is used to operate at full capacity with the pilot in charge of controls and firing while the sensor operator is in charge of the Multi-Spectral Targeting System. 

"What we're doing here is providing guys with the tools to be on par with the folks who have had a previous tactical background," said Lt. Col. James Merchant, 432nd Operations Group, Det. 1 commander. 

Because a final decision has not yet been made on the environmental assessment underway, students have been able to train in purely an expeditionary manner, which could be replicated elsewhere if necessary. The two-man crews consisting of one pilot and one sensor operator fly two-hour sorties between Creech Air Force Base, Nev., where the aircraft are currently accommodated, to Fort Irwin, Calif. 

"It's a pretty big responsibility for an enlisted [Airman]," said one sensor operator graduate. "I have to learn two jobs really fast with however much training we get."
Air Combat Command is the primary provider of the Air Force's two UAS capabilities and needs locations that provide optimal training resources without impacting critical mission requirements. 

Holloman was identified as the preferred choice for the Air Force's second UAS formal training unit because of the combination of existing facilities, restricted airspace and favorable weather. 

"Team Holloman is thrilled about the Air Force's strong interest in establishing unmanned aircraft systems training in the Tularosa Basin," said Col. Jeff Harrigian, 49th Fighter Wing commander, in August 2008 when the announcement was made to bring the unit to the base temporarily. 

The graduates will begin taking part in operations currently being conducted in Afghanistan within the next month, Colonel Merchant said. 

"These pilots and sensor operators are going to provide on-call destruction of resources the [adversaries] use - be it equipment, shelter, or the [adversaries] themselves," he said. 

Unmanned aircraft systems have been a part of the Air Force mission since the 1950s; however one specific system has been operating since April 1996.
With the announcement by then-Secretary of Defense William J. Perry for the RQ-1A Predator to be transferred from the U.S. Army to the Air Force, the unmanned aircraft systems have grown from reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering roles to combat missions in support of today's joint fight. 

Today, 13 years later, the Air Force's UAS mission has expanded to include not only the vehicle maintenance, but also pilot and sensor operator training.
Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., which was named after a pioneer in the UAS field, Col. George Holloman, was selected as the temporary location for the second UAS FTU in August 2008 by Gen. John D.W. Corley, ACC commander. 

Lt. Col. Merchant's combination of enthusiasm and ability have made the first Holloman class combat-ready Airmen. He is pleased to have the opportunity to pass along his knowledge and skills to future UAS pilots and operators. 

"The feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day [is] much greater than I had with the F-16," stated Lt. Col. Merchant. 

For more information about the environmental assessment or unmanned aircraft systems, call Holloman Public Affairs at 572-5406.
For additional information and photos, visit Holloman's Web site at www.holloman.af.mil.