Aircraft

Army, Oct 2002

An additional Hunter system was deployed to the Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, La., in 1999 in support of brigade-level exercises. Following several successful appearances of the Hunter at NTC, it had its first overseas combat deployment with the 15th Military Intelligence Battalion in the Balkans in April 1999 in support of Operation Allied Force over Kosovo. In April 2000, the 15th Military Intelligence Battalion again deployed to the Balkans in support of Operation Allied Force peacekeeping operations. It deployed again in May 2001.

In a reduced footprint configuration, the Hunter system was deployed to Fort Lewis, Wash., to serve as a surrogate Shadow system for the interim brigade combat team.

In late December 1999, the Army awarded a contract to the AAI Corp. for its Shadow 200 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle to fill the Army's brigade tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (TUAV) requirement. The system consists of three air vehicles with secondgeneration-equivalent electro-optical/infrared payloads, two ground control stations integrated on Humvees, and associated antennas, video terminals and support equipment. The initial contract called for an engineering and manufacturing development effort and delivery of four low-rate initial production (LRIP) TUAV systems for use in developmental testing, operational training, and as test articles for an initial operational test and evaluation. In late March 2000, a contract option was exercised for four additional LRIP systems.

The system is a ground maneuver brigade commander's unmanned aerial vehicle. It allows him to see and understand his battlespace and gain dominant situational awareness. It provides a near-real time, highly accurate, sustainable capability for over-the-horizon reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition and battle damage assessment. The images and telemetry from the air vehicles can be used by the brigade commander and his staff in the brigade tactical operations center (TOC), and by the brigade's subordinate maneuver battalion, direct support artillery or supporting aviation assets.

The Shadow 200 began risk-reduction testing on June 5, 2000, at Phillips Army Airfield, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. The primary objective of the testing was to provide a shakedown of the Block 0 air vehicle in preparation for integration of components planned for the Block I LRIP deliverable system. Block 0 risk-reduction testing was completed on October 27, 2000. Flight testing and soldier training using a Block I LRIP system, which began at Fort Huachuca in November and December 2000, respectively, marked the beginning of specification, compliance and qualification testing. It also served to validate the performance of the system, which is necessary before soldiers can operate the equipment safely and effectively in the flight test portion of training. The government conducted an operational tempo test from February 14 to March 3, 2001. The test was a key risk-reduction event for initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E). 2001 also saw limited user testing (LUT) of the Shadow 200 system.