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In the early days, akin to a tech start-up, the QMs Department gave us an empty storeroom under the annex of the Warrant Officers and Sergeants’ Mess to call our Tac Dev Office; this was quickly converted into a working office, and is now equipped with virtual drone training simulators, a 3D printer, workshop (make-space) and storage for the systems. It is from this tech-mecca that operators come to practice their flying, sign-out drones for deployments, and meet socially as part of the Regimental drone-racing team. The current drones in operation by 29 Cdo are the off-the-shelf Parrot Anafi, Thermal and USA models, as well as the UAVTEK Bug and Proteus drones. They can fly beyond visual line of sight while maintaining reliable, high-definition video downlink to the operator’s controller, which is then streamed to a commander’s tablet at a nearby location to enhance situational awareness.
Among the many specific uses for the Gun Groups, one of the most impressive uses is its ability to aid in delivering accurate direct fire from the 105mm Light Gun, in that it can hover above and behind the gun crew and using its zoom function to acquire good observation over the target area, can be used to adjust rounds for a hasty supressing effect, as well as providing its own battle damage assessment. It is also widely used to conduct route and area reconnaissance within non-permissive environments; artillery manoeuvre areas can be swiftly reconnoitred from the air as opposed to releasing a vulnerable GPO and driver to manoeuvre through a contested battlespace. The footage can also be sent to the Gun Crews, enabling them to conduct detailed map-to ground appreciation.
For the Tac Groups, it has become a critical Surveillance and Target Acquisition tool, particu- larly within complex or slow terrain, such as the urban littoral of the eastern Baltic coastline, arctic
These PARROT ANAFI drones used primarily for our operator training
A drone providing overwatch of a gun group ‘survivability’ move
Norway or Belizean jungle environment. With the nano-drones being small enough to fit in a jack-flask pouch and weighing less than an iPhone 6 without compromising much in sensor capability, these systems do not burden an already overloaded team. They are also 3D printable, with modular payloads and can even be modified to launch from under- water...
There was one crucial task that we failed to achieve this year, however hard we tried to make it happen. Competing at the international military drone racing championship in Brisbane, Australia will have to wait to next year, but at least this gives the 29 qualified members of the drone racing team another year of training to become more lethal!
THEY CAN EVEN BE MODIFIED TO LAUNCH FROM UNDERWATER
A drone operator conducting competency training at Scraesdon Fort
The drone-racing and VBS RPAS simulators
29 COMMANDO REGIMENT ROYAL ARTILLERY 27