FORT BELVOIR, Va. — Imagine a battlefield where Soldiers have access to near-real time video transmitted back to them on a handheld device. Program Executive Office Soldier (PEO Soldier) fielded the first personal Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) in the U.S. Army to soldiers of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 82nd Airborne Division, April 29 -May 3, 2019 at Fort Bragg, NC.
Soldiers did more than just inventory and take possession of the system during the week-long fielding. The soldiers were also trained via classroom instruction about the system”s capabilities, its controls, and how to operate it.
Soldiers received hands-on training of the system and flew the drone through various scenarios, which culminated in an exercise that tested everything they learned throughout the week. It was all done in preparation for the BCT to take the system with them on their upcoming deployment, making this the first personal UAS to deploy at the squad level within a unit in the Army.
New Army technology like the Soldier Borne Sensors (SBS) mitigates future losses of life and injuries by having a drone complete dangerous work that combat soldiers would usually perform on their own such as sending a fire team to gain reconnaissance information or sending out dismounted soldiers for route clearance operations. PEO Soldier delivers systems and equipment like this to our soldiers to ensure they remain decisive and dominant throughout the full spectrum of military operations.