FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – There’s a lot of buzz at Fort Indiantown Gap right now.
Some of it is literally coming from the numerous unmanned aircraft systems – commonly known as drones – that are flying over the installation.
A lot is figuratively surrounding a new drone training program that began this week.
As part of the Department of War’s “Drone Dominance” program, the Fort Indiantown Gap UAS Training and Innovation Facility has been selected to be the primary new-equipment training site for drones selected in DoW’s first Drone Gauntlet competition.
The TIF will receive each of the selected UAS systems, and Soldiers at the TIF will receive training from the systems’ manufactures. The TIF then adapts the training for the Army and trains Soldiers from active-duty and reserve-component units that are set to receive those systems.
Being selected to be the primary training site was a “massive” win for the Pennsylvania National Guard, said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Nathan Shea, the TIF’s officer-in-charge.
“It’s a huge deal, especially when you’re talking about all of COMPO 1 (active duty),” Shea said. “It’s a huge, huge honor for Pennsylvania to get this, and it just goes to show we’re kind of the tip of the spear and leading from the front not only for COMPO 2 (reserve component), but we’re right up there with COMPO 1.”
The first iteration of train-the-trainer training began June 1, with representatives from California-based Neros Technologies training Soldiers at the TIF on the company’s Archer drone. The five-day course includes classroom instruction and maintenance as well as actual flying.
The Archer is an 8-inch first person-view, purpose-built attritable system, or one-way attack drone, designed to carry explosives and fly into a target with the goal of destroying it.
“The main purpose of this drone is to carry payloads, mainly munitions payloads, to actually engage targets with them,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Adam Rocker, the TIF’s standardization instructor.
Most of the Soldiers receiving the training had previous experience flying FPV drones, but for some, it was their first experience with a small FPV drone, said Rocker.
“The training we’re getting from the Neros team is great training,” Rocker said. “They’re really breaking things down and giving us a good foundation to move forward to train the active-duty personnel who are going to be coming to us.”
Pilots have the option of flying the Archer using goggles that provide an immersive experience or using a “pilot box” that has a large computer screen, said Dwight Church, a field instructor with Neros Technologies.
“In current situations, the pilot might not be able to utilize the goggles, depending on where they’re operating, so it gives the opportunity for the pilot to utilize the screen,” Church said. “Some might find it disorienting to wear the goggles off the get-go, so they’ll end up using the pilot box to navigate and slowly progress to the goggles.”
The Archer is able to carry up to a 4.1-pound payload and has a range of about 20 kilometers with that payload, Church said.
“This is a long-range precision-flight drone,” Church said. “So, we’re teaching them to conserve battery, reduce their audio signature, not just the flight technique side but also the tactical employment of how to be a successful drone pilot.”
Among the Soldiers receiving the training was Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Quigley of the 56th Mobile Brigade Combat Team. It was the first time flying an FPV drone for Quigley, who spent his entire military career in maintenance before recently transitioning to drone operations.
“It’s been great so far,” Quigley said of the training. “The instructors challenge you, and they push you. They definitely don’t take it easy, but they start you at the simplest level, going in straight lines.”
The Archer is the first of eight UAS systems selected through the “Drone Gauntlet” competition that the TIF Soldiers will receive training on before turning around and providing training to other Soldiers, Shea said.
“Once we receive that vendor training, I will reach out to all of these different unit, and we’ll get that on the schedule,” Shea said.
In addition to the actual training, being able to meet and work with other drone operators will also be beneficial, Shea said.
“The more people in this space that we can bring together and grow contacts through this process, it’s a huge deal and it really helps people network,” Shea said.