A Qatar-based U.S. Air Force unit is equipped with a fleet of quadcopter and hexacopter drones meant to expand its base defense capabilities against unmanned aircraft.
Airmen in the 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron at Al Udeid Air Base operate the drone fleet as part of the squadron’s counter-small unmanned aerial systems program, or C-UAS.
“No longer can the military focus solely on the 360-degree defense of the base perimeter — defending the airspace is also necessary to fight in today’s contested environments,” the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing said, Military.com reported.
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Drone operators must undergo a 40-hour training course with between 12 and 15 hours of hands-on experience before operating the C-UAS technology.
“The goal of the program is to build counter measures for Al Udeid AB that would pose as a last line of defense against all small UAS threats,” said 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron Staff Sgt. Ryan Walters, who is in charge of the C-UAS program, in the news release.
“Learning a new operating system can be a challenge,” Walters added. “The camera system alone requires hands-on operator techniques to learn how to locate and track potential weaponized threats.”
The mobile system enables service members “to be protected no matter what environment they are in,” the news release added.
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“By adding the new technology to an already robust base defense system, Al Udeid AB now can defend 540 degrees all around the base,” said Lt. Col. Kevin Lombardo, who commands the squadron.
