Tag Archives: RQ-7B

2 Marine UAV Operators Earn First Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with New 'Remote Impact' Device

2 Marine UAV Operators Earn First Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with New ‘Remote Impact’ Device

Sgt. Ethan Mintus, an unmanned aerial system (UAS) operator with Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 3 (VMU-3), shakes hands with Lt. Col. Kenneth Phelps, the commanding officer of VMU-3, after receiving an award during a ceremony at Hangar 103, Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Dec. 11, 2017. Mintus was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with the newly authorized Remote Impact (“R”) Device alongside Sgt. Joseph Latsch, a fellow UAS operator with VMU-3, for their performance during combat operations. US Marine Corps photo.

Two Marine Corps unmanned aerial system (UAS) operators last week became the first in the service to earn the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with the new Remote Impact (“R”) Device. Read More

MAWTS-1 Advancing F-35B, Marine Aviation Operations For Future Fight

MAWTS-1 Advancing F-35B, Marine Aviation Operations For Future Fight

U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallions assigned to Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) fly in formation during FINEX-3 near Yuma, Ariz., Oct. 22, 2016. FINEX-3 was part of Weapons Tactics Instructors (WTI) course 1-17, a seven week training event hosted by MAWTS-1 cadre which emphasizes operational integration of the six functions of Marine Corps aviation in support of a Marine Air Ground Task Force. MAWTS-1 provides standardized advanced tactical training and certification of unit instructor qualifications to support Marine aviation Training and Readiness and assists in developing and employing aviation weapons and tactics. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Andrew Huff)

U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallions assigned to Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) fly in formation during FINEX-3 near Yuma, Ariz., Oct. 22, 2016. FINEX-3 was part of Weapons Tactics Instructors (WTI) course 1-17, a seven week training event hosted by MAWTS-1 cadre which emphasizes operational integration of the six functions of Marine Corps aviation in support of a Marine Air Ground Task Force. US Marine Corps photo.

This article is the second in a two-part series on the future of Marine Corps aviation. To read about how F-35B Joint Strike Fighter testers and operational pilots are preparing for the plane’s first deployment, please click this link.

YUMA, Ariz. – In a glimpse of what the future of Marine Corps aviation could bring, this fall F-35B Joint Strike Fighters were operating at long ranges with the MV-22 Osprey, passing information to other aircraft and to ground forces with tablets. Unmanned aerial vehicles provided intelligence, and precision rockets hit targets in dense urban areas.

At Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron-One (MAWTS-1) and its semi-annual Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course, top aviators from around the fleet not only trained to high-end warfighting scenarios but also help advance tactics to keep up with real-world developments and conduct experiments with emerging technologies that could give Marines in the air and on the ground an edge on the battlefield. Read More

RIMPAC 2016: Marines Test UAVs for Artillery Calls for Fire, Close Air Support

RIMPAC 2016: Marines Test UAVs for Artillery Calls for Fire, Close Air Support

An RQ-7B Shadow of VMU-3. USNI News photo.

An RQ-7B Shadow of VMU-3. USNI News photo.

POHAKULOA TRAINING AREA, ISLAND OF HAWAII – The RQ-7B Shadows of Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron (VMU) 3 are flying in the Hawaiian skies during the Rim of the Pacific exercise for the first time, bringing a new forward observer and artillery-calling capability to the amphibious force despite being build to support ground troops. Read More