Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) are probably here to stay, given their instrumental role in conducting aerial surveillance and hitting terrorist targets hard, all while reducing the risk to servicemembers' safety. That's why, to meet demand, the Army created the new Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 15E to supply repair technicians exclusively trained on keeping UAVs in the sky.

Duties and Responsibilities

Quoted in an article for Army.mil, 15E student Private Joseph Garcia estimates that preparing UAVs for launch and performing landing recovery "seems to be what most of our job will consist of.

Setting up our equipment, taking it back down, small maintenance on the actual bird itself."

In addition to basic ground crew operations, upkeep, and troubleshooting, UAV repairers work "on communication equipment, power sources, [and] light and heavy wheeled vehicles," though not the UAV weapon systems, according to the Army's Professional Development Model website.

Lest you think repairing UAVs doesn't sound quite so fun as piloting them, Army.mil quotes 15E schoolhouse instructor David Duckett in reminding us that "[w]ithout proper maintenance . . . the risk of casualties to ground forces increase[s] by 30 percent." Experience as a UAV repairer may also open doors to exciting civilian careers as the use of unmanned craft in industries like law enforcement increases. And who knows?: If business models like the "Burrito Bomber" get off the ground, technicians may even find work keeping the skies full of remote-controlled fast food.

Military Requirements

Educational and knowledge prerequisites for MOS 15E include a high school diploma or GED, and two qualifying scores on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB): at least 93 in electronics aptitude and 104 in mechanical maintenance.

Goarmy.com also suggests the job might best be suited to those with a "[p]reference in mathematics and shop mechanics, [i]nterest in working with aircrafts, [a]bility to work as a member on a team," and skill or interest "[w]orking with . . . electronic equipment."

According to unofficial Army information site Army-Portal.com, 15Es must also be US citizens, have normal color vision, and prove themselves eligible upon background check for a secret security clearance. (Please note, some of the other information about MOS 15E at Army-Portal.com is out-of-date at this time.)

Education

After boot camp, soldiers entering MOS 15E are assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 13th Aviation Regiment at Fort Huachuca, Arizona where, according to writers for Army.mil, is where " unmanned aircraft were originally developed."

Class sizes are small and last just over four months, focusing on various fundamentals and specific troubleshooting for the Army's Shadow 200 vehicle, but some "[s]oldiers may attend additional training on the Hunter and Gray Eagle." According to the Army's recruiting site, core curricula include "[e]lectrical theory and system maintenance, [t]roubleshooting procedures, [and] [s]oldiering skills." Like the soldiers they support in MOS 15W, UAV operators, repairers must also learn how to prepare UAVs for launch and recover them after they land.

Certifications

Civilian certifications directly related to the duties of a 15E, and eligible for both GI Bill support and enhanced promotion opportunities according to the Army Credentialing Opportunities On Line site, include associate electronics technician credentials through both the International Electronics Technicians Association (ETA-I) and the International Society of Certified Electronics Technicians. UAV techs can also earn promotion points with certification as electrical testing technicians through the Electrical Testing Technician Certification Institute, although the GI Bill apparently won't cover the cost of testing.

Other available credentials are "skill related," meaning they may require some additional off-duty training, and include aircraft and avionics electronics technician, calibration technician, quality technician, and radio communication systems certificates, as well as journeyman apprentice status as a telecommunications electronics technician with the ETA-I.