Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1
Encyclopedia
Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1 (VMU-1) is an unmanned aerial vehicle
squadron in the United States Marine Corps
that operates the RQ-7 Shadow
and ScanEagle
. They are based out of Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms
, California
and provide aerial surveillance for the I Marine Expeditionary Force. They fall under the command of Marine Air Control Group 38
and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
in support of Joint Task Force Six's drug interdiction Operation Border Eagle. 1st RPV Company Pioneer UAVs helped law enforcement agencies apprehend 372 illegal aliens
and confiscate more than $850,000 worth of marijuana during the operation.
During September 1990 through March 1991, both 1st and 3rd RPV Companies were deployed to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
in support of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. 1st RPV Company flew 169 sorties for 568 flight hours and 3rd RPV Company flew 239 sorties for 695 flight hours in support of the operations. In what was the United States’ first combat test of the Pioneer UAV and throughout the operation it detected a host of enemy activity including troop movements, artillery
positions, armored formations, surface-to-surface missiles, and air defense sites.
, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.
From June 5, through October 22, 1996, VMU-1 was deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of the NATO peacekeeping Operation Joint Endeavor and was the first 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing unit to arrive in-theater. From its base at Boyington Airfield near Tuzla
, VMU-1 flew 36 sorties for 84.4 flight hours in support of Task Force Eagle.
During July 13, through August 15, 1998, VMU-1 operated from Cameron County Airport in Port Isabel, Texas
in support of Joint Task Force Six drug interdiction and immigration enforcement operations. The squadron flew 35 sorties for 74.7 flight hours in coordination with the United States Coast Guard
and the National Park Service
.
From September 13,through October 2, 1999, VMU-1 operated from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma
, Arizona
in support of Joint Task Force Six drug interdiction and immigration enforcement operations along the US/Mexico border. The squadron flew 40.2 flight hours in support of the operation.
During January 21 through March 3, 2001, VMU-1 operated from Laughlin Air Force Base
in Del Rio, Texas
in support of Joint Task Force Six drug interdiction and immigration enforcement operations along the US/Mexico border. The squadron flew 26 sorties for 56.9 flight hours during the operation.
During 30 July through 28 August 2002, VMU-1 operated from Boundary County Airport
in Bonner's Ferry, Idaho in support of Joint Task Force Six drug interdiction and immigration enforcement operations along the US/Canada border. The squadron flew 26 sorties for 65.3 flight hours and helped law enforcement agencies confiscate more than $1,000,000 worth of marijuana during the operation.
in support of Operation Southern Focus
. The squadron subsequently moved to Tactical Assembly Area Coyote near the Iraqi border and on February 28 commenced reconnaissance and surveillance flights over Iraq
in support of I Marine Expeditionary Force.
March 19, 2003 saw the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom with VMU-1 in direct support of the 1st Marine Division. During its first combat sortie in support of the invasion, the squadron located and reported an enemy artillery battery that was subsequently destroyed by friendly artillery. On March 22, VMU-1 crossed the line of departure into Iraq and redeployed to Jalibah Airfield from where they supported Task Force Tarawa
’s assault through An Nasariyah
. On April 1, the squadron convoyed to Qalat Sikar to support Regimental Combat Team 1 operations in the vicinity of Al Kut. VMU-1 moved to An Numaniyah
on April 4 from where one of their Pioneers was the first Marine UAV to fly over Baghdad
. April 8, saw the squadron return to Qalat Sikar, once again in direct support of Task Force Tarawa. On April 10, the squadron returned to An Numaniyah, still in direct support of Task Force Tarawa. On April 25, the squadron relocated to Ad Diwaniyah in support of 1st Marine Division and remained there until May 25 when they returned to Al Kut. VMU-1 returned to the United States on September 12, 2003 having flown 414 sorties for 1414 flight hours, relocated on eight occasions, and convoyed more than 1000 road miles. For their exceptional achievement, VMU-1 was recognized with the Marine Corps Aviation Association’s prestigious James Maguire Award for 2003.
On August 1, 2004 VMU-1 returned to Iraq. Operating the Pioneer UAV from Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, the squadron detected and reported armed enemy personnel on 93 occasions, enemy weapons systems on 37 occasions, enemy personnel emplacing improvised explosive devices on 14 occasions, and enemy personnel preparing to ambush friendly personnel on six occasions. Perhaps the squadron’s most significant achievement however was its participation in Operation Phantom Fury
between 7 and 19 November 2004. During that operation, the I Marine Expeditionary Force took back the city of Fallujah from insurgents. VMU-1 flew more than 50 sorties and 250 flight hours during the offensive and adjusted artillery, coordinated air strikes, and collected battle damage assessment against more than 50 targets in and around Fallujah. The squadron gained national attention for this effort in author Bing West
’s article “Nowhere to Hide,” featured as the cover story for the February 2005 issue of Popular Mechanics
magazine. The essence of this article was later republished as a chapter in the same author’s best-selling book No True Glory, published in September 2005. VMU-1 returned to the United States on March 4, 2005 having flown 757 sorties for 3159 flight hours, a staggering total that equated to more than a decade’s worth of peacetime flight hours flown in only seven months.
VMU-1 returned to Iraq for a third time during August 2005. This deployment saw the integration of the SE-15 Scan Eagle UAV with the venerable Pioneer. Along with its Pioneer facility at Camp Taqaddum, VMU-1 fielded Scan Eagle Detachment Bravo at Camp Al Qaim near the Syrian border and Scan Eagle Detachment Charlie at Camp Al Asad
. Of particular significance during the deployment was VMU-1’s participation in Operation Steel Curtain
, the Regimental Combat Team 2 offensive to kill or capture insurgents and restore order in the Western Euphrates River Valley cities of Husaybah
, Karabilah, Sadah, and Ubaydi
during November 2005. The Watchdogs detected and positively identified more than 20 enemy combatants who were subsequently dispatched by friendly air power and helped coordinate more than 30 fixed and rotary-wing air strikes during the two-week battle. The VMU-1 Watchhogs flew 780 Pioneer sorties for 3215 flight hours, and 573 Scan Eagle sorties for 5261 flight hours during the deployment.
In October 2007, VMU-1 became the first squadron in the Marine Corps to begin flying the RQ-7 Shadow
in combat in Iraq.
Unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle , also known as a unmanned aircraft system , remotely piloted aircraft or unmanned aircraft, is a machine which functions either by the remote control of a navigator or pilot or autonomously, that is, as a self-directing entity...
squadron in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
that operates the RQ-7 Shadow
RQ-7 Shadow
The RQ-7 Shadow unmanned aerial vehicle is used by the United States Army and Marine Corps. Launched from a trailer-mounted pneumatic catapult, it is recovered with the aid of arresting gear similar to jets on an aircraft carrier...
and ScanEagle
ScanEagle
ScanEagle is a small, low-cost, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle built by Insitu, a subsidiary of Boeing. The ScanEagle was designed by Insitu and continues to be upgraded with improved technology and designed-in reliability improvements....
. They are based out of Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms
Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms
The Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center , also known as 29 Palms, is a United States Marine Corps base. It was a census-designated place officially known as Twentynine Palms Base located adjacent to the city of Twentynine Palms in southern San Bernardino County, California. As of the 2000...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and provide aerial surveillance for the I Marine Expeditionary Force. They fall under the command of Marine Air Control Group 38
Marine Air Control Group 38
Marine Air Control Group 38 is a United States Marine Corps aviation command and control unit based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar that is currently composed of 5 squadrons and 1 battalion that provide the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wings tactical headquarters, positive and procedural control to...
and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
The 3d Marine Aircraft Wing is the major west coast aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps. It is headquartered at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California and provides the aviation combat element for I Marine Expeditionary Force...
Early years
On January 21, 1987, 1st Remotely Piloted Vehicle Company was activated at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) Twentynine Palms, California as part of the 7th Marine Amphibious Brigade. On June 24, 1987, 3rd RPV Company was activated at (MCAGCC) also as part of the 7th Marine Amphibious Brigade. On December 15, 1989, 1st and 3rd RPV Companies were reassigned to 1st Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Intelligence Group.Operation Desert Storm
From January 29 through March 3, 1990, 1st RPV Company operated from LaSalle County Airport in Cotulla, TexasCotulla, Texas
Cotulla is a city in and the county seat of La Salle County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,614 at the 2000 census.-History:In 1868, Polish immigrant Joseph Cotulla arrived in La Salle County and eventually established a large ranching operation...
in support of Joint Task Force Six's drug interdiction Operation Border Eagle. 1st RPV Company Pioneer UAVs helped law enforcement agencies apprehend 372 illegal aliens
Illegal Aliens
Illegal Aliens is a 2007 film starring Anna Nicole Smith and Joanie Laurer. This comedy/science-fiction film is made in the mold of classic 1980s B-movies. Hitting stores on May 1, 2007, the release of the movie was pushed back following the death of Smith in February 2007 and it is her final film...
and confiscate more than $850,000 worth of marijuana during the operation.
During September 1990 through March 1991, both 1st and 3rd RPV Companies were deployed to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
in support of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. 1st RPV Company flew 169 sorties for 568 flight hours and 3rd RPV Company flew 239 sorties for 695 flight hours in support of the operations. In what was the United States’ first combat test of the Pioneer UAV and throughout the operation it detected a host of enemy activity including troop movements, artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
positions, armored formations, surface-to-surface missiles, and air defense sites.
1990s
On January 6, 1994, 1st RPV Company merged with 3rd RPV Company to form 1st Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Company then on January 15, 1996, 1st UAV Company was re-designated Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1 (VMU-1) and was reassigned to Marine Aircraft Group 13Marine Aircraft Group 13
Marine Aircraft Group 13 is a United States Marine Corps aviation unit based at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma that is currently composed of four AV-8B Harrier squadrons and a maintenance and logistics squadron...
, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.
From June 5, through October 22, 1996, VMU-1 was deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of the NATO peacekeeping Operation Joint Endeavor and was the first 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing unit to arrive in-theater. From its base at Boyington Airfield near Tuzla
Tuzla
Tuzla is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the time of the 1991 census, it had 83,770 inhabitants, while the municipality 131,318. Taking the influx of refugees into account, the city is currently estimated to have 174,558 inhabitants...
, VMU-1 flew 36 sorties for 84.4 flight hours in support of Task Force Eagle.
During July 13, through August 15, 1998, VMU-1 operated from Cameron County Airport in Port Isabel, Texas
Port Isabel, Texas
Port Isabel is a city in Cameron County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Brownsville–Harlingen–Raymondville and the Matamoros–Brownsville metropolitan areas...
in support of Joint Task Force Six drug interdiction and immigration enforcement operations. The squadron flew 35 sorties for 74.7 flight hours in coordination with the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
and the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
.
From September 13,through October 2, 1999, VMU-1 operated from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma or MCAS Yuma is a United States Marine Corps air station which is the home to multiple squadrons of AV-8B Harrier IIs of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1 and Marine Fighter Training Squadron 401 , an air combat adversary...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
in support of Joint Task Force Six drug interdiction and immigration enforcement operations along the US/Mexico border. The squadron flew 40.2 flight hours in support of the operation.
During January 21 through March 3, 2001, VMU-1 operated from Laughlin Air Force Base
Laughlin Air Force Base
Laughlin Air Force Base is a facility of the United States Air Force located five miles east of the central business district of Del Rio, Texas.-Overview:...
in Del Rio, Texas
Del Rio, Texas
Del Rio is a border city in and the county seat of Val Verde County, Texas, United States.. Del Rio is connected with Ciudad Acuña via the Lake Amistad Dam International Crossing and Del Río-Ciudad Acuña International Bridge...
in support of Joint Task Force Six drug interdiction and immigration enforcement operations along the US/Mexico border. The squadron flew 26 sorties for 56.9 flight hours during the operation.
During 30 July through 28 August 2002, VMU-1 operated from Boundary County Airport
Boundary County Airport
Boundary County Airport is a county-owned, public-use airport in Boundary County, Idaho, United States. It is located two nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Bonners Ferry...
in Bonner's Ferry, Idaho in support of Joint Task Force Six drug interdiction and immigration enforcement operations along the US/Canada border. The squadron flew 26 sorties for 65.3 flight hours and helped law enforcement agencies confiscate more than $1,000,000 worth of marijuana during the operation.
Global War on Terror
On February 9, 2003 VMU-1 deployed to Ali As Salem Airbase, KuwaitKuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
in support of Operation Southern Focus
Operation Southern Focus
Operation Southern Focus was a period in the months leading up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq in which the military responses to violations of the southern Iraqi no-fly zones were increased, with more intensive bombing of air defense artillery installations and other military complexes...
. The squadron subsequently moved to Tactical Assembly Area Coyote near the Iraqi border and on February 28 commenced reconnaissance and surveillance flights over Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
in support of I Marine Expeditionary Force.
March 19, 2003 saw the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom with VMU-1 in direct support of the 1st Marine Division. During its first combat sortie in support of the invasion, the squadron located and reported an enemy artillery battery that was subsequently destroyed by friendly artillery. On March 22, VMU-1 crossed the line of departure into Iraq and redeployed to Jalibah Airfield from where they supported Task Force Tarawa
Task Force Tarawa
Task Force Tarawa was the name given to the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. They were a Marine Air-Ground Task Force commanded by Brigadier General Richard F...
’s assault through An Nasariyah
Nasiriyah
Nasiriyah is a city in Iraq. It is on the Euphrates about 225 miles southeast of Baghdad, near the ruins of the ancient city of Ur. It is the capital of the province of Dhi Qar...
. On April 1, the squadron convoyed to Qalat Sikar to support Regimental Combat Team 1 operations in the vicinity of Al Kut. VMU-1 moved to An Numaniyah
An Numaniyah
An Numaniyah is a city on the Tigris river in Iraq, located roughly southeast of Baghdad in the Wasit Province. It is the site of one of four national training centers for the Iraqi Army....
on April 4 from where one of their Pioneers was the first Marine UAV to fly over Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. April 8, saw the squadron return to Qalat Sikar, once again in direct support of Task Force Tarawa. On April 10, the squadron returned to An Numaniyah, still in direct support of Task Force Tarawa. On April 25, the squadron relocated to Ad Diwaniyah in support of 1st Marine Division and remained there until May 25 when they returned to Al Kut. VMU-1 returned to the United States on September 12, 2003 having flown 414 sorties for 1414 flight hours, relocated on eight occasions, and convoyed more than 1000 road miles. For their exceptional achievement, VMU-1 was recognized with the Marine Corps Aviation Association’s prestigious James Maguire Award for 2003.
On August 1, 2004 VMU-1 returned to Iraq. Operating the Pioneer UAV from Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, the squadron detected and reported armed enemy personnel on 93 occasions, enemy weapons systems on 37 occasions, enemy personnel emplacing improvised explosive devices on 14 occasions, and enemy personnel preparing to ambush friendly personnel on six occasions. Perhaps the squadron’s most significant achievement however was its participation in Operation Phantom Fury
Operation Phantom Fury
The Second Battle of Fallujah was a joint U.S., Iraqi, and British offensive in November and December 2004, considered the highest point of conflict in Fallujah during the Iraq War. It was led by the U.S...
between 7 and 19 November 2004. During that operation, the I Marine Expeditionary Force took back the city of Fallujah from insurgents. VMU-1 flew more than 50 sorties and 250 flight hours during the offensive and adjusted artillery, coordinated air strikes, and collected battle damage assessment against more than 50 targets in and around Fallujah. The squadron gained national attention for this effort in author Bing West
Bing West
Francis J. "Bing" West is an author and former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs during the Reagan Administration. His 2004 book The March Up: Taking Baghdad with the First Marine Division, written with United States Marine Corps General Ray L...
’s article “Nowhere to Hide,” featured as the cover story for the February 2005 issue of Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics is an American magazine first published January 11, 1902 by H. H. Windsor, and has been owned since 1958 by the Hearst Corporation...
magazine. The essence of this article was later republished as a chapter in the same author’s best-selling book No True Glory, published in September 2005. VMU-1 returned to the United States on March 4, 2005 having flown 757 sorties for 3159 flight hours, a staggering total that equated to more than a decade’s worth of peacetime flight hours flown in only seven months.
VMU-1 returned to Iraq for a third time during August 2005. This deployment saw the integration of the SE-15 Scan Eagle UAV with the venerable Pioneer. Along with its Pioneer facility at Camp Taqaddum, VMU-1 fielded Scan Eagle Detachment Bravo at Camp Al Qaim near the Syrian border and Scan Eagle Detachment Charlie at Camp Al Asad
Al Asad
Al Asad Airbase is the second largest US military airbase in Iraq and is located in the largely Sunni western Province of Iraq Al Anbar. It was formerly the home of the II Marine Expeditionary Force until January 2010...
. Of particular significance during the deployment was VMU-1’s participation in Operation Steel Curtain
Operation Steel Curtain
Operation Steel Curtain was a military endeavor executed by coalition forces in early November 2005 to reduce the flow of foreign insurgents crossing the border and joining the Iraqi insurgency. The operation was important in that it was the first large scale deployment of the New Iraqi Army...
, the Regimental Combat Team 2 offensive to kill or capture insurgents and restore order in the Western Euphrates River Valley cities of Husaybah
Husaybah
Husaybah is an Iraqi city on the Euphrates river in Al-Anbar province, close to the Syrian border....
, Karabilah, Sadah, and Ubaydi
Ubaydi
Ubaydi is an Iraqi city situated along the south side of Euphrates River near the Syrian border. It is a subdistrict of Al Qa'im and contains both New Ubaydi and Old Ubaydi as well as a number of smaller villages that stretch down the Euphrates to the east....
during November 2005. The Watchdogs detected and positively identified more than 20 enemy combatants who were subsequently dispatched by friendly air power and helped coordinate more than 30 fixed and rotary-wing air strikes during the two-week battle. The VMU-1 Watchhogs flew 780 Pioneer sorties for 3215 flight hours, and 573 Scan Eagle sorties for 5261 flight hours during the deployment.
In October 2007, VMU-1 became the first squadron in the Marine Corps to begin flying the RQ-7 Shadow
RQ-7 Shadow
The RQ-7 Shadow unmanned aerial vehicle is used by the United States Army and Marine Corps. Launched from a trailer-mounted pneumatic catapult, it is recovered with the aid of arresting gear similar to jets on an aircraft carrier...
in combat in Iraq.
See also
- List of active United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons
- United States Marine Corps AviationUnited States Marine Corps AviationUnited States Marine Corps Aviation is the air component of the United States Marine Corps. Marine aviation has a very different mission and operation than its ground counterpart, and thus, has many of its own histories, traditions, terms, and procedures....
- History of unmanned aerial vehiclesHistory of unmanned aerial vehiclesUnmanned aerial vehicles, known variously as UAVs, drones, and remotely piloted vehicles , have been a feature of aviation for much of its history, though often overlooked. For the purposes of this article, and to distinguish UAVs from missiles, a UAV is defined as being capable of controlled,...
- "VMU-1 The Watchdogs" - An interview, photos, and information from Oct. 6th, 2008 by reporter Joe Bennett.http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=997036http://wcs_bbs.tripod.com/TheWatchdogs.pdf