Posted on Mar 13, 2023
Drone skills 101: Special forces train for Ukraine in Methow Valley
858
43
6
17
17
0
Deep in the forests of northern Ukraine, fighters don’t always know what’s hiding behind a stand of trees.
U.S. Marine veteran Dakota Mendenhall embedded with Ukrainian troops last year. They’d get ready for an ambush, he said, only to find Russian forces waiting for them.
“We only knew that once our buddy got his eyes through his glass,” Mendenhall said. “He saw them, and it's like, ‘Damn, if only we had a drone, we could have seen that well before we got out here.’”
Now, Mendenhall will be able to help with that tactical advantage. He and two other foreign special forces fighters, who also embedded with Ukrainian troops, recently took a weeklong intensive drone training class in Washington’s Methow Valley.
“Observation alone is a massive, massive advantage,” he said while piloting a drone 120 feet above a nearby apple orchard.
U.S. Marine veteran Dakota Mendenhall embedded with Ukrainian troops last year. They’d get ready for an ambush, he said, only to find Russian forces waiting for them.
“We only knew that once our buddy got his eyes through his glass,” Mendenhall said. “He saw them, and it's like, ‘Damn, if only we had a drone, we could have seen that well before we got out here.’”
Now, Mendenhall will be able to help with that tactical advantage. He and two other foreign special forces fighters, who also embedded with Ukrainian troops, recently took a weeklong intensive drone training class in Washington’s Methow Valley.
“Observation alone is a massive, massive advantage,” he said while piloting a drone 120 feet above a nearby apple orchard.
Drone skills 101: Special forces train for Ukraine in Methow Valley
Posted from kuow.org
Marines
Drones
Russia
Ukraine
Posted 1 y ago
Responses: 6
9
9
0
PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."The team hoped to take what they’d learned back to fighters in Ukraine, helping train them in advanced drone skills. J. said he would continue training fighters as needed.
For Eira, who said she couldn’t imagine leaving the fight now, these drone skills she learned in the Methow Valley are the future.
“It's gonna be a game changer,” Eira said. “This little thing is literally our intel, it's our eyes.”
..."The team hoped to take what they’d learned back to fighters in Ukraine, helping train them in advanced drone skills. J. said he would continue training fighters as needed.
For Eira, who said she couldn’t imagine leaving the fight now, these drone skills she learned in the Methow Valley are the future.
“It's gonna be a game changer,” Eira said. “This little thing is literally our intel, it's our eyes.”
(9)
(0)
8
8
0
PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
(8)
(0)
4
4
0
So many things can be accomplished with the use of drones. Intel gathering, delivering supplies or ordinance, etc but don't count on the element of surprise.
(4)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google