Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

VMU-1 Pioneer UAV provides 'birds eye' view of combat zone

"The fog of war clouding the modern battlefield is getting a whole lot thinner.

Marines fighting an insurgency through the maze-like streets of Iraqi cities like Ar Ramadi and Fallujah are finding the enemy more easily thanks to Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1, Marine Aircraft Control Group 38, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

VMU-1 supports our troops in Iraq with the remote-controlled, unmanned aerial vehicle system known as Pioneer. Unlike the larger Predator UAV flown by other services, the Marines' more tactical Pioneer is armed only with sophisticated camera equipment.

"The Pioneer UAV is an excellent tool with great potential for changing the way we fight the enemy," said Gunnery Sgt. Robert W. Wilson, external pilot, VMU-1. "Without putting additional lives at risk, day or night, we provide a unique overhead view for tactical commanders with imagery intelligence to help them make battlefield decisions and save Marines' lives."

Wilson, a former infantryman, said ground commanders tell VMU-1 daily how grateful they are for what they provide in terms of aerial surveillance, intelligence and reconnaissance.

Whether from an airstrip, dirt runway or the back of a truck -- with the help of a pneumatic launcher -- the Pioneer can be set aloft above the enemy quickly." Read more at Marine Corps News> VMU-1 Pioneer UAV provides 'birds eye' view of combat zone:

Posted by Darren at September 22, 2004 12:21 AM | More from UAV News |