Navy Launches Drone School at Camp Pendleton

Hoping to provide ground troops with an extra set of eyes watching the battlefield, the Navy opened its second drone school Tuesday at Camp Pendleton (the first school is back East). 

The Navy and Marine Corps Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System Program's Training and Logistics Support Activity-West will teach Marines to use the RQ-11B Raven, RQ-12A Wasp and RQ-20 Puma, according to a 1st Marine Expeditionary Force report. 

“This is a major (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) asset for whoever is using it,” said Dean McCoy, an unarmed aircraft system specialist. Drones are "the way we’re going to be doing business on the battlefield from here on out.”

The lightweight, unarmed aircraft are launched by hand and can be controlled by remote or follow preset coordinates, according to the report. 

Referred to as TALSAs, the schools offer lessons on operating the vehicles and integrating them into regular units, said Maj. Gary Shill. 

The first drone school opened in August at Camp Lejeune, NC, and has trained more than 350 sailors and Marines, according to the report.

The Pendleton school will train a dozen students at a time for 10 days.