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Talk:VMUT-2

A fact from VMUT-2 appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 18 July 2006. The text of the entry was as follows: Did you know... that Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 2 (VMU-2), a United States Marine Corps UAV squadron formed in June 1984, was the first Remotely Piloted Vehicle unit in the U.S. Armed Forces?(pictured: unit insignia) A record of the entry may be seen at Wikipedia:Recent additions/2006/July.

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++Lar: t/c 00:48, 18 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

peer-review=yes

Although VMU-2 may have been the first RPV unit in the USMC, there have been other similar units earlier in the U.S. Armed Forces.

I was a member of the 432 Tactical Drone Group, 11 Tactical Drone Squadron (and flew with the 22 Tactical Drone Squadron), Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, from May 1977 through March 1979. Our unit operated AQM-34M and AQM-34V Firebee RPV's in the electronic warfare and photo-reconnaissance missions. These aircraft were remotely piloted from DC-130A and DC-130E aircraft and recovered in mid-air by CH-3E helicopters. The U.S. Air Force and the then-Tactical Air Command disbanded the units in early 1979. The lineage and honors of these units have been assumed by several tactical fighter and tactical reconnaissance units (e.g., see the article on the 432d Air Expeditionary Wing, its subordinate 11th Reconnaissance Squadron, and its history).

Earlier than the 432nd, Strategic Air Command also flew AQM-34-series RPVs in Southeast Asia.

The quote from the VMU-2 stating that, "...originally formed in June 1984 as Detachment T, Target Acquisition Battery, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Forces, Atlantic, thus becoming the first Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV) unit within the Marine Corps and the U.S. Armed Forces" is thus incorrect for the Armed Forces as a whole.

My comments are not intended to downplay the role, mission, or accomplishments of VMU-2 in any way, but seeks to correct the article and ensure the understanding that RPV operations in the U.S. Armed Forces is not as recent as 1984, and that dedicated RPV units were active well before then.

143.232.165.72 (talk) 20:25, 4 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

This unit recently was re-designated as a training squadron, and as such the title needs to change and there will be an updated unit logo/patch.

My account isn't old enough to move the page to the new URL, so if someone wants to do so feel free to do so. If it's not done by the time I'm able to do so I'll take care of it. MyFavColorIsHex940000 (talk) 01:15, 3 September 2023 (UTC)[reply]