Soldiers in Idaho are now using drones during training.
The Idaho National Guard says Company M, 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team is using small unmanned aircraft at Camp Orchard.
The new technology includes the Army’s RQ-28B Black Widow. It’s a quadcopter designed to allow combat units to locate threats, conduct reconnaissance, and share data with commanders. Soldiers began training on the new equipment in July.
Staff Sgt. Kyle Bernaiche says the Black Widow “eliminates the need to send out scouts to see what might be over that hill or beyond that tree line.” Sgt. Bernaiche said these drones allow them to see out to five miles.
The Idaho National Guard says the Black Widow also allows personnel to see the system’s surveillance in real time through a secure server. Operators can also mark and identify targets and record images for future use.
Mike Co. will be a test bed for two additional platforms called the Ghost-X and the C100. These new systems are part of a transition from a traditional heavy armored formation to a lighter combat team, in alignment with the Army Transformation Initiative (ATI). The Idaho National Guard says ATI is a “sweeping modernization and restructuring effort” that’s designed to integrate more technology into the force.
