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20 May 2012

Drone Crew Photos

Also: Drone Photos:

http://cryptome.org/2012-info/drone-photos/drone-photos.htm

Estimated 170 crew members required to keep a Predator drone airborne for 24 hours.

http://boingboing.net/2012/01/17/crew-of-170-people-needed-to-k.html

Many more are required to plan, oversee and debrief a drone-directed attack by multiple gunships. Civilian contractors are often on-site participants.

An excellent 2,200-page investigative report of drone-directed attack on civilians was published by CENTCOM which describes staffing and procedures of a drone-attack operation:

http://www2.centcom.mil/sites/foia/rr/centcom%20regulation%20ccr%2025210/forms/allitems.aspx?
RootFolder=%2Fsites%2Ffoia%2Frr%2FCENTCOM%20Regulation%20CCR%2025210%2FAfghanistan&
FolderCTID=0x012000BDB53322B36BD84DA24AF0C8F8BCD011&View={7AED4B57-43F2-4B7D-A38E
-4BDDC5BB9BD6}

Drone Crew Photos
CIA Drone Control Facilities, Langley, VA (No interior photos have been published of the "temporary quonset huts" set up to assassinate targets. Senior CIA officials can observe attacks in real time on the 7th Floor suite, at times inviting special guests.)
http://cryptome.org/eyeball/cia-quonset/cia-quonset.htm

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Creech Air Force Base, NV, Drone Control Training

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Beale Air Force Base, CA, Drone and U2 Training

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Israeli soldiers control the Skylark drone during a drill on January 16, 2012 near Bat Shlomo, Israel. The Skylark can carry a camera payload of up to 1kg, has an operational ceiling of 15,000ft and allows users to monitor any designated point within a 15km radius. The Skylark unit consists of a ground control element and three drones, which provide battalion-level commanders with real-time information. Getty
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A technician supporting U.S. Navy SEAL Team 18 works on a UAV, an unmanned aerial vehicle, before a demonstration of combat skills at the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida November 11, 2011. The demonstration for the public is part of a Veteran's Day celebration and the annual reunion at the Museum. The drone is equipped with cameras for surveillance. Reuters

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Adam Stock, the lead pilot for 29 Palms Unmanned Aerial Systems, out of Twentynine Palms, California, pilots a ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle at Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif., May 19, 2011, in support of Global Medic 2011 and Warrior 91 11-01. Global Medic is a joint field training exercise for theater aeromedical evacuation system and ground medical components designed to replicate all aspects of combat medical service support. Warrior 91 11-01 was a tactical exercise in which U.S. Service members responded to simulated enemy attacks as part of Global Medic 2011 . (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Donald R. Allen/Released). Date Shot: 5/19/2011
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U.S. Soldiers with the 10th Special Forces Group fly an RQ-7B Shadow unmanned aerial vehicle at Hurlburt Field, Fla., from inside their ground control station March 7, 2011, during Emerald Warrior 2011. Emerald Warrior is an annual two-week joint/combined tactical exercise sponsored by U.S. Special Operations Command designed to leverage lessons learned from operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom to provide trained and ready forces to combatant commanders. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Andy M. Kin/Released). Date Shot: 3/7/2011
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U.S. Airmen with the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron prepare an RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle aircraft for takeoff at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia Dec. 2, 2010. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Eric Harris/Released). Date Shot: 12/2/2010
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U.S. Airmen with the 380th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron prepare an RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle for its first launch from an undisclosed base in Southwest Asia Nov. 27, 2010. The RQ-4 was designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Eric Harris/Released). Date Shot: 11/27/2010
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U.S. Marine Corps unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) mechanics assigned to Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron (VMU) 3 work on an RQ-7B Shadow UAV during Enhanced Mojave Viper at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif., Aug. 3, 2010. Enhanced Mojave Viper is a combined exercise that prepares Marines for deployments. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Michael C. Nerl/Released). Date Shot: 8/3/2010
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Civilian employees with Fleet Readiness Center East perform maintenance and corrosion assessments on two MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicles at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., May 14, 2010. (U.S. Navy photo by David R. Hooks/Released). Date Shot: 5/14/2010
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U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jennifer Oberg, background, a communications maintenance instructor, and Senior Airman Raquel Martinez, foreground, check a ground control station during training at March Air Reserve Base, Calif., April 19, 2010. Both are assigned to the 163rd Maintenance Group at March. The California Air National Guard unit is primarily involved in Predator unmanned aerial vehicle missions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Val Gempis/Released). Date Shot: 4/19/2010
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U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ron Zechman, a predator sensor operator, and Maj. Jeff Bright, a predator pilot and detachment commander of the 432nd Wing out of Creech Air Force Base, Nev., go over pre-flight check lists for an RQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle at Aeropuerto Rafael Hernandez outside Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, Jan. 28, 2010. Airmen from Creech AFB are providing 24-hour-a-day full-motion video in real time to international relief workers on the ground in order to speed humanitarian aid to remote and cut-off areas of the Haiti following the earthquake Jan. 12, 2010. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. James Harper/Released). Date Shot: 1/21/2010

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U.S. Air Force Maj. Jeff Bright, a predator pilot from the 432nd Wing out of Creech Air Force Base, Nev., goes over a pre-flight check list for an RQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle at Aeropuerto Rafael Hernandez outside Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, Jan. 28, 2010. Airmen from Creech AFB are providing 24-hour-a-day full-motion video in real time to international relief workers on the ground in order to speed humanitarian aid to remote and cut-off areas of the Haiti following the earthquake Jan. 12, 2010. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. James Harper/Released). Date Shot: 1/21/2010
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Predator pilot Jonathon Johnson, an air interdiction agent for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, enters the ground control station for the Predator B unmanned aerial systems (UAS) April 3, 2009, at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection UAS operations center at Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D. The Predator is a new high-tech tool being used to help in flood fight planning for the first time in North Dakota. It has been recording flood imagery, which is being used for positioning of National Guard flood fighting personnel and resources. (DoD photo by Senior Master Sgt. David H. Lipp, U.S. Air Force/Released). Date Shot: 4/3/2009
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Predator pilot Jonathon Johnson, left, an air interdiction agent for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, pilots a Predator aircraft in the ground control station for the Predator B unmanned aerial systems (UAS) April 3, 2009, at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection UAS operations center at Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., as UAS instructor pilot Bob Concannon operates the sensor controls. The Predator is a new high-tech tool being used to help in flood fight planning for the first time in North Dakota. It has been recording flood imagery, which is being used for positioning of National Guard flood fighting personnel and resources. (DoD photo by Senior Master Sgt. David H. Lipp, U.S. Air Force/Released). Date Shot: 4/3/2009
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Predator pilot and instructor Michael Nelson, of the University of North Dakota, pilots a Predator in the ground control station for the Predator B unmanned aerial systems (UAS) April 3, 2009, at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection UAS operations center at Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D. The Predator is a new high-tech tool being used to help in flood fight planning for the first time in North Dakota. It has been recording flood imagery, which is being used for positioning of National Guard flood fighting personnel and resources. (DoD photo by Senior Master Sgt. David H. Lipp, U.S. Air Force/Released). Date Shot: 4/3/2009
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U.S. Army Pfc. Shawn Miller, left, and Sgt. 1st Class Wayne Davidson, both with Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, prepare equipment needed to operate a Raven unmanned aerial vehicle system at Joint Security Station Loyalty in eastern Baghdad, Iraq, March 25, 2009. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. James Selesnick/Released). Date Shot: 3/25/2009
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U.S. Army Pfc. Shawn Miller, from Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, processes information gathered from a Raven unmanned aerial vehicle system, at Joint Security Station Loyalty, in eastern Baghdad, Iraq, March 25, 2009. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. James Selesnick/Released). Date Shot: 3/25/2009
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U.S. Air Force Maj. John Chesser operates the controls of an MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle cockpit during a demonstration at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, on Aug. 1, 2008. The Reaper is designed as a hunter-killer, capable of loitering over targets for long periods of time and delivering laser-guided ordnance. Chesser is a Reaper pilot with the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance and Attack Squadron. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Don Branum, U.S. Air Force. (Released). Date Shot: 8/1/2008
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U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Justin Michaels, of 3rd Special Operations Command, Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., guides a ground control station (GCS) as other Airmen from his unit lower the station into place July 21, 2008. The GCS will serve as a cockpit for Predator/Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class James R. Bell/Released). Date Shot: 7/21/2008
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U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Moore, right, describes his every action to Airman 1st Class Carrie Smith during the setup of a Vehicle Test Controller for a RQ-1 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle June 16, 2008, at Beale Air Force Base, Calif. They are with the 9th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo by Lance Cheung/Released). Date Shot: 6/16/2008
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U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Evan Barnhart assists Senior Airman Stephen Simeone as she controls an unmanned aerial vehicle at Patrol Base Meade, Iraq, Jan. 21, 2008, while providing armed reconnaissance over watch in Southern Arab Jabour, Iraq. Simeone and Barnhart are both joint terminal attack controllers from Fort Stewart, Ga., and are deployed with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway) (Released). Date Shot: 1/21/2008
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Royal Air Force Maj. Kevin Gambold monitors and pilots an MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle at Ali Air Base, Iraq, Jan. 10, 2008. Gambold is the commander the 361st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron and deployed from the 15th Reconnaissance Squadron, Creech Air Force Base, Nev., through a military personnel exchange program. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jonathan Snyder) (Released). Date Shot: 1/10/2008
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U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Logan Abrams, right, a Joint Tactical Air Control Party journeyman (JTAC in training), talks with his Army counterparts who are operating a Shadow unmanned aerial vehicle from Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Iraq, June 25, 2007. The Army Shadow is being used to provide real time video surveillance of a suspected explosives laden roadway south of Baghdad. Abrams takes information from the shadow back to his JTAC, Tech. Sgt. Mike Cmelik, who is controlling a B-1 Lancer aircraft to drop 13,500 pounds of ordinance on the roadway. This bombing mission severed a suspected main supply route used by Iraqi insurgents to bring accelerants from the south into the Baghdad area. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jim Varhegyi/Released). Date Shot: 6/25/2007
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FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq -- U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Andrea Patterson, one of three battlefield weatherman assigned to forward operating base (FOB) Kalsu south of Baghdad, Iraq, provides a weather brief to U.S. Army soldiers controlling Shadow Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for the U.S. Army's 2nd Battalion, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Monday, June 25, 2007. Sergeant Patterson, and her fellow Air Force weather forecasters, provide 24 hour a day weather updates to the various U. S. Army 3rd Infantry Division's operations occurring in the Triangle of Death area. The instantaneous weather information the battlefield weathermen are able to provide are critical to the success, and to the safety of the 3rd ID's ground and aviation operations. Though Sergeant Patterson is attached to the 3rd ID she officially falls under the recently formed 3rd Expeditionary Weather Squadron headquartered on Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq. She is deployed from Detachment 6, 7th Weather Squadron, Wiesbaden, Germany. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jim Varhegyi)(released). Date Shot: 6/25/2007
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A representative with the Insitu, Inc., on board the Military Sealift Command afloat prepositioning ship USNS Stockham (T-AK 3017), operates a Scan Eagle Unmanned Aerial Vehicle over the Solomon Islands April 17, 2007. The scan eagle is assessing earthquake and tsunami damage that struck the island. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Second Class Andrew Meyers/Released). Date Shot: 4/17/2007
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U.S. Air Force Capt. Michael Edmonston, left, and Airman 1st Class Stephen Sadler, both of the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, work together to remotely operate a Predator MQ-1 unmanned aerial vehicle at Balad Air Base, Iraq, Nov. 5, 2006. The Predators are used to provide surveillance and are equipped with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Chad Kellum) (Released). Date Shot: 11/5/2006
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Peter Bale, Director of Business Development, readies an Aerosonde Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for a test flight at Naval Air Station Key West, Fla., on Sept. 7, 2006. The remote-piloted UAV is designed to gather critical, near surface data on active hurricanes. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Timothy Cox) (Released). Date Shot: 9/7/2006
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Kris Kokkely, an advanced tactical systems engineer for Boeing, watches his computer screen as data and video streams back from a ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as it flies over Yodaville training range on Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., June 19, 2006, for Desert Talon. ScanEagle is a UAV system that is designed to provide persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data, battle damage assessment and communications relay. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Michael P. Snody) (Released). Date Shot: 7/19/2006
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U.S. Air Force Capt. Michael J. Conte, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) pilot assigned to the 46th Expeditionary Strike and Reconnaissance Squadron, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., prepares for the nights UAV mission from Balad Air Base, Iraq, July 8, 2006. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jonathan F. Doti/Released). Date Shot: 7/8/2006
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On 21 June 2006, Maj Toby Buchan, from Spencertown, NY, of Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 2 (VMU-2) gives the clearance to fly to a Pioneer Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)before it departs on a mission in Al Taqaddum, Iraq. VMU-2 is deployed with IMEF (FWD) in support of in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq (MNF-W) to develop the Iraqi security force, facilitate the development of official rule of law through democratic government, and continue the development of a market based economy centered on Iraqi reconstruction. .Official USMC Photo by Sergeant Jennifer L. Jones.060621-M-AK780-023.(RELEASED). Date Shot: 6/21/2006
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Pfc. Jonathan Machado, from HHB 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, operates a remote control for the Raven Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) from a safe location. The Raven is used to support land warfare operations and surveillance of the area. The 101st Airborne Division is currently deployed in the Tikrit area in support of the operation. FOB REMAGEN (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Teddy Wade) (Released). Date Shot: 4/21/2006
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John T. Nicholson, Boeing Phantom Works Field Service Representative and Stewart Errico the Boeing ScanEagle, an unmanned aerial vehicle, secures the aircraft so it can be stored for the evening at Asad, Iraq, July 13, 2005. These men are civilian contractors that work with the U.S. Marines Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron Two. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Dustin S. Schaefer/Released). Date Shot: 7/12/2005
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Todd Alexander, a support engineer from the Insitu Group, Boeing Corporation, maneuvers a Scan Eagle unmanned aerial vehicle from a remote location during an urban warfare exercise at Indian Springs Auxiliary Air Field, Nev., on May 4, 2005. Scan Eagle flies at low altitudes while taking video surveillance and it feeds images directly to security forces personnel in the field. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Robert W. Valenca) (Released). Date Shot: 5/4/2005
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U.S. Air Force Capt. Andy Beitz (left), a student pilot, and Airman 1st Class Stephanie Barroso, a student sensor operator, practice operating an MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) during training inside the Ground Control Station Cell at Indian Springs Auxiliary Field, Nev., on April 26, 2005. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald) (Released). Date Shot: 4/26/2005
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U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Adam Twitchell, an Intelligence Officer and Operations Cell Mission Coordinator from the 11th Reconnaissance Squadron, Indian Springs Auxiliary Field, Nev., reviews local training plans during a MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) mission over Nevada on April 2, 2005. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Tech. Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald) (Released). Date Shot: 4/2/2005
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A U.S. Contractor (left), a U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. (second from left), a U.S. Marine Corps 1st Sgt. (second from right), and an U.S. Air Force Col. (right) stand around a Unmanned Aerial Vehicle that is on display at Camp Fallujah, Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on Dec. 4, 2004, that will be shown to U.S. Marine Corps Gen. James L. Jones, Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, and Commander, U.S. European Command, and U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Alford L. McMichael, Senior Non-Commissioned Officer, Allied Command Operations, who are visiting with U.S. military service members who all participated in Operation Al Fajr, which was conducted during Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Robert Blankenship) (Released). Date Shot: 12/4/2004
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US Air Force (USAF) 46th Expeditionary Aerial Reconnaissance Squadron (EARS) Predator pilots, Captain (CPT) John "Disco" Songer and Airman 1st Class (A1C) Stephanie L. "Princess" Schulte operate individual Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) using remote controls at Balad Air Base (AB), Iraq (IRQ), in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Photographer's Name: SSGT COHEN A. YOUNG, USAF. Date Shot: 7/2/2004

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US Air Force (USAF) 46th Expeditionary Aerial Reconnaissance Squadron (EARS) Predator pilot, Captain (CPT) John "Disco" Songer operates an individual Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) using a remote control system at Balad Air Base (AB), Iraq (IRQ), in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Photographer's Name: SSGT COHEN A. YOUNG, USAF. Date Shot: 7/2/2004
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US Air Force (USAF) 46th Expeditionary Aerial Reconnaissance Squadron (EARS) Crew Chief, Staff Sergeant (SSGT) Sean Pietre and Senior Airman (SRA) Rothschild Pierre-Louis III unload a rocket from a Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) at Balad Air Base (AB), Iraq (IRQ), in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Photographer's Name: SSGT COHEN A. YOUNG, USAF. Date Shot: 7/2/2004
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US Air Force (USAF) Staff Sergeant (SSGT) David Miranda, a Dedicated Crew Chief on the MQ-1L Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), inspects an engine during a Preventative Maintenance Inspection (PMI). Miranda is assigned to the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron (ERS) at Balad Air Base (AB), Iraq (IRQ). Photographer's Name: TSGT SCOTT REED, USAF. Date Shot: 6/10/2004
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US Air Force (USAF) Crew Chief with the 46th Reconnaissance Squadron (RS), Staff Sergeant (SGT) James Barr (right), starts up the engine of a Predator MQ-1 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) during a functional check while Senior Airman (SRA) Christipher Dewey observes the engine performance. Photographer's Name: SSGT PRENTICE COLTER, USAF. Date Shot: 5/26/2004
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US Air Force (USAF) Staff Sergeant (SSGT) Michael Gonzales, a Crew Chief for the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron (ERS), unscrews the engine of a Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for repairs at Balad Air Base (AB), Iraq (IRQ), in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Photographer's Name: SSGT CHYRECE E. LEWIS, USAF. Date Shot: 2/10/2004
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US Air Force (USAF) Staff Sergeant (SSGT) Tracy Jones, left and SSGT Jeffery Hicks, Crew Chiefs for the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron (ERS), sign-off preflight documents for the RQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), before its mission from Balad Air Base (AB), Iraq, in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Photographer's Name: SSGT CHYRECE LEWIS, USAF. Date Shot: 1/31/2004
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US Air Force (USAF) Staff Sergeant (SSGT) Jeffrey Hicks, left and Senior Airman (SRA) John Fanning, with the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron (ERS), perform a post flight check on their RQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) at Tallil Air Base (AB), Iraq, in support of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM. Photographer's Name: SSGT SUZANNE M. JENKINS, USAF. Date Shot: 1/19/2004

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The Joint Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Experiment Program consists of British and Israeli contractors working together controlling the UAV for experimental purposes during a Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) training exercise at Fallon Naval Air Station (NAS), Nevada (NV), during exercise DESERT RESCUE XI. Here two British contractors view a low-resolution strip map, which covers a large area provided by the electrical optical and infrared camera, installed in the UAV during a surveillance and reconnaissance mission. The exercise is a joint service Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) training exercise hosted by the Naval Strike and Warfare Center, designed to simulate downed aircrews, enabling CSAR related missions to experiment with new techniques in realistic scenarios. Photographer's Name: SSGT REYNALDO RAMON, USAF. Date Shot: 8/13/2003
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A contracted worker operates to controls of a Hunter Joint Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), as it prepares for a experimental flight during a Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) training exercise at Fallon Naval Air Station (NAS), Nevada (NV), during exercise DESERT RESCUE XI. The Hunter is an Israeli multi-role short-range UAV system in service with the US Army (USA). The exercise is a joint service Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) training exercise hosted by the Naval Strike and Warfare Center, designed to simulate downed aircrews, enabling CSAR related missions to experiment with new techniques in realistic scenarios. Photographer's Name: SSGT REYNALDO RAMON, USAF. Date Shot: 8/13/2003
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Sergeant (SGT) Carlos Carrasco (left) and USMC of Reading PA and Sgt Carlos Carrasco, both from 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance (LAR) Battalion, operate the wearable ground control station for the "Dragon Eye" Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) at Camp Ripper, Kuwait during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Photographer's Name: LCPL Kenneth E. Madden, USMC. Date Shot: 3/7/2003
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US Marine Corps (USMC) Corporal (CPL) John Rocha, Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron-1 (VMU-1), Twentynine Palms, California (CA), at the controls of the GCS-2000 Ground Control Station (GCS) that operates an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) from the flightline near Camp Workhorse during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Photographer's Name: LCPL ALICIA M. ANDERSON, USMC. Date Shot: 2/25/2003
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US Marine Corps (USMC) Marines from Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron-1 (VMU-1), Twentynine Palms, California (CA), and VMU-2, Cherry Point, North Carolina (NC), lunch together during a construction break of a runway near Camp Workhorse during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Photographer's Name: LCPL ALICIA M. ANDERSON, USMC. Date Shot: 2/25/2003
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US Air Force (USAF) Senior Airman (SRA) Amy Hodges, Airborne Surveillance Radar System Technician assigned to the 438th Expeditionary Force Protection Squadron (EFPS) waits for final Global Positioning Systems (GPS) data before launching a US Air Force (USAF) "Desert Hawk" Force Protection Airborne Surveillance (FPAS), Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), while deployed at forward location during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Photographer's Name: SSGT William Greer, USAF. Date Shot: 10/4/2002
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US Army (USA) Specialist (SPC) Dan Sawicki, 972nd Military Police (MP) Company, operates the controls of a US Air Force (USAF) "Desert Hawk" Force Protection Airborne Surveillance (FPAS), Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), while deployed at forward location during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Photographer's Name: SSGT William Greer, USAF. Date Shot: 10/4/2002
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Staff Sgt. Brian Fox, VTC operator (Vehicle Test Controller) of the 12th ERS (Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron), uses a computer interface to provide flight instructions to the Global Hawk on June 30, 2002. The RQ-4A Global Hawk is a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial reconnaissance system designed to provide military field commanders with high resolution, near-real-time imagery of large geographic areas. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Reynaldo Ramon) (Released). Date Shot: 6/30/2002
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Terry Collins, an L3 employee out of Edwards Air Force Base, checks the uplinks and downlinks for satellite communication with the Global Hawk on June 30, 2002. The RQ-4A Global Hawk is a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial reconnaissance system designed to provide military field commanders with high resolution, near-real-time imagery of large geographic areas. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Reynaldo Ramon) (Released). Date Shot: 6/30/2002
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US Air Force (USAF) maintenance personnel assigned to the 12th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron (ERS), check the maintenance log for a RQ-4A Global Hawk high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial reconnaissance system while preparing for a mission at a forward location, while deployed in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Pictured left-to-right, USAF (Major) Greg Hataway, Staff Sergeant (SSGT) Kelvin Rasor, and MAJ John D'ortona. Photographer's Name: SSGT Reynaldo Ramon, USAF. Date Shot: 6/30/2002
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Chuck Gardner, systems engineer(front), and Patrick Didier, senior crew technician, both from Northrop Grumman Ryan Aeronautical Center, check the systems on a Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle after its arrival at Langley Air Force Base, Va., June 21, 2001. The aircraft flew non-stop from Edwards Air Force, California in support of the Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic (SACLANT) Seminar taking place at Langley. (Photo by TSgt Jack Braden) (Released). Date Shot: 6/21/2001
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Sitting at the controls, Maj. George Barth, a pilot from the 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., flies the Global Hawk May 14, 2001, from inside the Mission Control Element, at Edinburgh Air Force Base, Australia, in support of Exercise Tandem Thrust. The Global Hawk is a jet powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) designed as a Reconnaissance and Surveillance vehicle with a wing span equal to a Boeing 737, flying at altitudes of up to 65,000 feet for more than 24 hours and capable of searching an area of more than 40,000 square miles. The Global Hawk is deployed to Australia from April to June 2001, flying more than a dozen missions. These missions will include sorties in support of Tandem Thrust as well as maritime, littoral, land surveillance and stand off reconnaissance capabilities. The Global Hawk completed its first successful maiden flight in February 1998. Currently there are five U.S. Air Force Global Hawks which have logged over 60 flights and have clocked more than 600 hours, with it's biggest challenge to date the non-stop Trans-Pacific flight from Edwards to Edinburgh. Tandem Thrust 2001 is a combined U.S., Australian and Canadian military training exercise. This biannual exercise is being held in the vicinity of Shoalwater Bay training area, Queensland, More than 27,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are participating, with Canadian units taking part as opposing forces. The purpose of Exercise Tandem Thrust is to train for crisis action planningand execution of contingency response operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock) (Released). Date Shot: 5/14/2001
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Portrait of Systems Test Engineer Chuck Gardner, (left), and Avionics Technician Brent Bremer, from Northrop Grumman Edwards Air Force Base, California, as they pre-flight the RQ-4A Global Hawk at RAAF Base Edinburgh, Adelaide, Australia, in support of Exercise TANDEM THRUST 01. Able to cover more than 40,000 square miles, the jet powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) RQ-4A Global Hawk has a wing span of 116 feet, equal to a Boeing 737, able to fly up to 65,000 feet and loiter for more than 24 hours. The Global Hawk deployed to Australia from April to June 2001, flying more than a dozen missions. This Global Hawk completed its biggest challenge to date the non-stop Trans-Pacific flight from Edwards to Edinburgh to support TANDEM THRUST 01. TANDEM THRUST 2001 a combined US, Australian, and Canadian military exercise for crisis action planning and execution of contingency response operations. The biannual exercise is held in the vicinity of Shoalwater Bay training area in Queensland, Australia. Photographer's Name: SSGT JEREMY LOCK, USAF. Date Shot: 5/13/2001