"A riveting account of one of the most significant developments in contemporary warfare – the evolution and proliferation of drones. This is a very important book." – General David Petraeus, US Army (Ret.), former Commander of the Surge in Iraq, US Central Command, and Coalition and US Forces in Afghanistan, and former Director of the CIA
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN Images of the 286 Air Expeditionary Wing at Ali Al Salem Air Base using their Reapers were published in July 2019. The US DVIDS caption notes "MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle awaits an engine test before Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, July 23, …
Continue reading MQ-9 Reapers being used from Kuwait in 2019
June 13, 2019 - For the first time in history a UAV was used at Fort Leonard Wood airspace for a combat arms live fire exercise. The AAI RQ-7 Shadow was flown, and photos show it being put on its rail to be launched and other details. "multiple agencies working to bring the idea to …
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN The US and other countries have been experimenting with drone swarms. One fascinating photo comes out of the "11th Armored Cavalry Regiment and the Threat Systems Management Office push a swarm of 40 drones through the town during the battle of Razish, National Training Center on May 8th, 2019. This exercise …
In August 2018 paratroopers trained to use a drone in Alaska. Those from the 725th Brigade Support Battalion checked a Raven UAV at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. "The Paratroopers flew the Ravens to maintain their proficiency with the system and to enhance their ability to support units in real-world scenarios."
The US says that 2017 was the first time a soldier destroyed a UAV with a laser. It happened at Fort Sill on May 18, 2017 on a pleasant spring day. A story about the incident says that the drone came over the horizon and soldiers downed it with a laser. "Sounds like something from …
Continue reading 2017: The first soldier to destroy a drone with a laser
The RQ-7 Shadow UAV was deployed to Alaska in 2018. It was assigned to the Unmanned Aircraft Systems platoon of D Company of the 6th Brigade Engineer Bataltion of the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from the 25th Infantry Division. It was hen used at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, in Alaska. Photos a the time show …
In 2018 US soldiers used a drone to do a damage assessment, one of the many things drones can do. They used the Aeryon SkyRanger drone for the "first-ever operational rapid airfield damage assessment at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea , Aug. 13, 2018. This innovative survey method gives both the engineers and base …
Continue reading Using drones to inspect damage in South Korea
US forces have been training with Puma drones for years. In one photos an instructor from Training and Logistics Support Activity-West (TALSA) with class RQ20B Puma, "teaches U.S. Marines how to inspect the functionality of an RQ-20 Puma." It was taken at Camp Pendleton. This is important training. It was taken on January 24, 2018. …
The RQ-7 Shadow UAV was deployed to Alaska in 2018. It was assigned to the Unmanned Aircraft Systems platoon of D Company of the 6th Brigade Engineer Bataltion of the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from the 25th Infantry Division. It was hen used at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, in Alaska. Photos a the time show …
In 2017 the US MQ-9 Reaper went on the road to be shown off. It was taken from Creech Air Force Base to the Lethbridge International Airshow on July 14, 2017. For several days people got to see it and they learned about its capabilities, maintenance and munitons. "Canada-Airmen assigned to the 432nd Wing/432nd Air …
Drone Wars: The book 