Operation Shadow Guam

Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin, April-June, 2004 by Catharine T. Wentz, Dan Ma, Kelley Calene Woods

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the U.S. Departments of the Army and Defense, or the U.S. Government.

The Shadow 200 Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (TUAV) system is one of the newest assets for tactical-level Army Intelligence. With its daytime camera (electro-optic) and infrared capabilities, it provides imagery and video allowing U.S. and allied forces a near-real-time (NRT) picture of the battlefield. The system supports intelligence collection in reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) and the battle damage assessment (BDA) process. The TUAV system provides support for maneuver operations and fires, and support in developing friendly courses of action (COAs). This unique system also provides an early warning and force protection capability to the commander and allows for timely decisions on the battlefield. The TUAV system enables the ground maneuver commander to understand the ground situation by allowing sightings of obstacle positions and where the best maneuverability would be.

Background

A relatively new Army system, the Shadow 200 TUAV made its debut only two years ago with its fielding to the 104th Military Intelligence (MI) Battalion at Fort Hood, Texas. In September 2003, Charlie Company, 102d MI Battalion, began fielding the Shadow system for operations in the 2d Infantry Division (2ID). Normally used as a brigade asset, the 102d MI Battalion is using Shadow TUAV in a general support role for 2ID. The Shadow system's relatively small air vehicle (AV) measures only 11 feet 4 inches in length and has a wingspan of 12 feet 8 inches. The AV has an optimal cruise speed of 70 knots and has the ability to stay on station for approximately 4 hours at a range of 50 kilometers from the Ground Control Station (GCS). Unlike other UAV systems, the Shadow 200 launch is by pneumatic/hydraulic launcher.

The Shadow 200 operates with several systems. These include the--

[] All-Source Analysis System (ASAS).

[] Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) Common Ground Station (CGS).

[] Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS).

[] Automated Deep Operations Coordination System (ADOCS).

Operation SHADOW GUAM

The operators of the Shadow TUAV system train much as manned aviation pilots do. In order to maintain proficiency, it is necessary for TUAV operators to conduct live or simulated flight operations and log flight hours in various types of weather conditions. The 2ID leadership selected the U.S. Territory of Guam as the optimal training environment and, in January 2004, the Charlie Company "Shadow Warriors" deployed there to conduct their training.

Much preparation was necessary in order to commence flight operations in Guam. The deployment was a learning experience for everyone involved given that this would be the first time an entire unit had ever deployed from Korea to train away from the Peninsula. The TUAV Company deployed to Guam on a C-5 Galaxy cargo plane loaded with all personnel and equipment from its two Shadow TUAV systems.

Setting up headquarters at Andersen Air Force Base (AFB), the Company began extensive preparations for the first day of flight. First, the unit's standing operating procedure (SOP) needed rewriting in accordance with Guamanian airspace restrictions and operations. Once the SOP revision was complete, soldiers moved on to the task of maintenance. Perhaps the most time-intensive part of flight preparations is magnetic calibrations. Since the AVs would be flying in Guam rather than Korea, every AV needed recalibration and testing. While the maintainers and field service representatives (FSRs) prepped the AVs, the operators prepped the runway(s). Operating on an old B-52 airstrip, the operators took on the task of conducting site surveys and emplacing all the equipment.

In addition, the TUAV technician was busy coordinating airspace and resolving datalink and other communications frequency conflicts. Operating from Anderson AFB was a unique situation for Charlie Company because for the first time, they had air traffic controllers specifically dedicated to the TUAV mission. Having dedicated controllers was invaluable. They aided the operators who had never operated in Guam as well as U.S. Air Force personnel, who had never worked with the Shadow system.

Once we completed all of the preflight issues, it was time to fly. Using two full TUAV baselines of equipment, the company operated on one runway beginning with daytime flights only. The second week the company decided to "train as you fight," breaking the company into two separate platoons operating on parallel runways. This entire exercise tested the abilities of the mission commanders, many of whom conducted their first missions in Guam.

While Charlie Company was conducting operations, the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) was also conducting close-quarters combat training on Guam. The two units decided to work together to achieve mutual training objectives. Charlie Company operators needed more training conducting the BDA process and surveillance operations, while the Marine Commander wanted to watch the battle from his operations center. In the first-ever joint U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM)/Pacific Rim (PACRIM) Army TUAV-Marine exercise, the two units worked together to provide the MEU Commander with NRT imagery. On board the USS Essex, the TUAV operators were able to connect the Remote Video Terminal (RVT) to 23 different screens throughout the ship, giving live video feed to the MEU Commander and his battle staff.