Task Force ODIN
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Task Force ODIN, whose name is an acronym for Observe, Detect, Identify, and Neutralize, is a United States Army aviation battalion created in August 2006 to conduct reconnaissance, surveillance, targeting and acquisition (RSTA) operations to fight makers of improvised explosive devices in Iraq.
The unit was formed at Fort Hood, Texas, and first deployed in October 2006. An Army article says the unit is meant to meet "the critical requirement to 'win back the roads' using Army Aviation assets to maintain a persistent stare over demonstrated at-risk areas for IEDs."
The unit includes the Army's only unit that flies the Warrior-Alpha unmanned aerial vehicle, an extended-range multi-purpose hybrid unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with electro-optical/infrared sensors, synthetic aperture radar, laser rangefinder and designator. By September 2007, the Warrior-Alpha had flown more than 6,000 hours.[1]
