Platoon recognized for UAV operations

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Sgt. Jeremy Squires, Sgt. Anh Huynh, and Sgt. Ronald F. Williams, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, prepare their Shadow UAV for takeoff on Oct. 17 at Jalalabad Airfield, Afghanistan.


Platoon recognized for UAV operations
Staff report
Posted : Friday Oct 26, 2007 5:34:38 EDT

A thousand error-free flying hours has earned soldiers operating the Shadow unmanned aerial vehicle system in Afghanistan an Army certificate of achievement.

Soldiers with Bravo Company, 173rd Special Troops Battalion, 173rd Airborne Combat Team, were recognized by the Aviation Branch in an Oct. 16 ceremony at Forward Operating Base Fenty, according to an Army statement.

The platoon has flown the Shadow UAV more than 1,500 mission hours since arriving in country in May.

The Shadow is a 375-pound, rapidly deployable aircraft designed to be a commanders’ “eyes in the sky,” and has only been used in the Army for five years.

The Shadows flew operational missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, the release said.

“With the Shadow system still being relatively new, the Army has had a lot of heartache keeping birds up,” UAV operator and Platoon Sgt. 1st Class Joseph G. Cuevas, stated in the release. “There has only been a few units to reach the 1,000-hour mark and beyond. So a 1,000 hours has become a really, really big deal in the Shadow community.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/10/army_uavplatoon_071025w/