Predator Maintainers Hail From All Walks

At Balad AB, Iraq, the 46th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit comprises airmen—active, Air National Guard, and British—and contractors—many of whom are former blue-suiters themselves. The contractors add a unique element, since some have worked with Predator unmanned aerial vehicles for almost 10 years. Orival Greenfield, a 46th EAMU deployment team lead and retired senior master sergeant, has seen the platform evolve from an experiment to a highly valued asset. Back when he started with the program in 1997, he told Air Force journalist A1C Jason Ridder, there would be only one aircraft in the sky at a time. “Now there are multiple Predators in the sky at the same time, and most of the missions are flown from Nellis,” he added.