The Success of the Shadow

An unmanned aircraft system in the Army's fleet today is defying gravity, soaring ever higher in performance and zooming down on cost. In a budget-conscious Department of Defense, exceeding performance and cost goals are enough to make the RQ-7B Shadow 200 Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle a target for recognition. Redstone Arsenal-based employees whose work is centered on product development, sustainment, cost, scheduling, performance and other life cycle management issues pertaining to Shadow. Described as the "workhorse" of the Army's unmanned aircraft systems, Shadow has exceeded 600,000 combat hours in Iraq and Afghanistan since it was introduced to the Army fleet in 2003, flying missions for the first time during the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The Army has fielded 98 Shadow systems, and the Marines 11. Its mission in unmanned, over-the-horizon reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition has made it a forerunner in providing situational analysis to Soldiers on the battlefield. Unfortunately, the simplicity in design caused problems with reliability. Early accidents of the Shadow system reached a rate of more than 400 per 100,000 flight hours. For the quarter ending in December 2010, the Shadow fleet achieved the lowest accident rate in its history, approaching 29 incidents per 100,000 flight hours. Not only have the number of incidents been drastically reduced, so, too, have been the expense of repairs when incidents do happen. Engine improvements have been the key to Shadow's increased reliability. In six months, accidents due to engine problems were reduced by 50 percent. The Shadow uses a 40-pound, 40-horsepower engine on missions that put a lot of stress on its engine. Engine improvements addressed carburetor icing, which occurs when Shadow flies in airspace ranging in temperature from 25 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit, Rymut said. The improvement involved installing a heated throttle plate carburetor. In addition, the Shadow's oil pump was modified so that it could continue to pump oil at cold temperatures. The product office has also incorporated post-flight inspections, requiring that a field service representative check Shadow engines after each flight. Instead, those engines were replaced so that the Shadows could continue their mission. With as much flying as the Shadow does in battlefield conditions and often under poor weather conditions involving sand and heat on launch and landing, and cold temperatures at high altitudes. The Shadow's performance was also improved with the incorporation of a larger parachute, which was designed to decrease its rate of descent while also increasing weight and reliability system safety engineer for Shadow. The parachute, now doubled in size. In use since June 2009, the new parachute is more effective in controlling a smooth landing for the Shadow. Smoother landings mean more affordable repairs if there is a mishap. Steps have also been taken to "error proof" Shadow operations, minimizing the affect operator mistakes can have on the system. Automation has been incorporated in the system, and serves to check the system during pre-launch to ensure Soldiers follow all steps for a successful Shadow launch. The improvements are part of the growing pains that go along with a new system that is popular with Soldiers. Along the way, the Shadow's flight endurance has gone from five hours to nine hours, which decreases the number of Shadows needed to field a battlefield exercise. The Shadow's mission has expanded to include night-time reconnaissance, laser tagging of buildings and communications capabilities from Shadow operators to ground troops. Future capabilities will include arming Shadow with a weapon system and communications systems connecting it to manned aircraft. Now used at the brigade level, the Shadow management team said there is a potential for more Shadows to be fielded to brigade combat teams.
Kari Hawkins, USAG Redstone