ABSTRACT
Unmanned aerial systems are considered small (SUAS) if they are man-portable and their employment does not require an established infrastructure (such as a runway or airport) . In the Army, instruction concerning SUAS here-to-fore has focused almost entirely on training the operator how to l1y the vehicle. The j ob of operator, however, is not designated as an occupational specialty, and trainees do not receive supplemental training in valuable enabling skills such as tactics, terrain analysis, imagery interpretation, or communication. Moreover, leaders in the operator' s unit are not required to participate in instruction on system capabilities, man-power and training requirements, maintenance requirements, air space coordination, or tactics, techniques, and procedures rclated to the system. Co-ordination issues between the operator and commander arise not only because of these training gaps, but also because there is no dedicated communications channel between them. This paper describes methods to improve leader training, enhance leader-operator coordination, and provide simulation-based collective training for SUAS operations .
