History is being made at the Air Force Academy: Cadets will have the opportunity to learn how to fly unmanned aircraft. It's the first program of its kind at a service academy.
The Air Force Academy says the program doesn't really get going until next summer. They hope to send as many as 300 cadets through the basic course each year.
Tuesday, four cadets hand-picked to be the first trainees, took turns flying the Viking 300. The cadets flew the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) over Fort Carson, the only place they were allowed to fly.
"We have a computer program that sends inputs to the plane, said Brad Sapper an AFA Junior. “It keeps it at a certain altitude and heading."
The Viking 300, unlike the Predator, does not carry any weapons. The UAV was built for tracking purposes only.
Lt. Col. Dean Bushey says nothing beats hands on experience for his cadets. “The cadets can actually see the airplane flying. They know they're actually flying an airplane.” Bushey said.
The AFA is no stranger to unmanned aerial systems. They say they have done research on them since the mid-1990’s.
Lt. Gen. Mike Gould, Academy Superintendent said the following about new technology training, “The Air Force has made unmanned aerial systems a priority for our service -- and the value of these capabilities is evidenced on a daily basis in Iraq and Afghanistan. So it’s only fitting that our cadets have a keen understanding of this vital piece of our national security. The Academy’s UAS program is designed to educate our cadets on these systems and to light the fire in many of them so they’ll graduate and go serve as leaders in the UAS business.”
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