Out of the Shadow: UAV Fielding Has Troops Looking to Future

摘要

The RQ-7 Shadow, an unmanned aerial vehicle used primarily for surveillance and marking targets, was fielded recently to the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The Shadow is the result of the Army's continued search for an effective battlefield UAV after the cancellation of the RQ-6 Outrider aircraft. It has been in use in Afghanistan since 2003, and has flown more than 650,000 hours in support of the war on terrorism. AAI Corporation, the aerospace and defense development and manufacturing firm that developed the Shadow, sent instructors to teach the Indiana Army National Guard soldiers how to operate and maintain the UAV.