Anthony Najera Email & Phone Number

I began operating UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) platforms while enlisted in the United States Army as a UAS operator. Based out of Fort Drum, New York, I was on combat deployment in Afghanistan and used UAS to counter threats and perform overwatch for friendly troops conducting convoys and village clearances. In the course of my work, I identified improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on main supply routes to protect friendly force convoys and positively identified high-value targets to meet the friendly forces ground commander’s intent. After completing my enlistment and my Associate of Science in Fire Science from Southwestern Community College, I continued building upon my understanding of UAS systems at MAG Aerospace, first as a Shadow Air Vehicle and Sensor Operator, then as an Aerostar Internal Pilot, and now as an Imagery Analyst and Aerosonde Operator. Since working in this field in 2009, I have caught and resolved any potential problems, resulting in zero aircraft incidents in 8+ years. I was deployed to Africa as a UAS contractor while with MAG Aerospace. I also served a role as an imagery analyst, monitoring the UAS video feed to determine possible enemy checkpoints in covered areas of operation and threats to friendly military forces, and trained African Union Forces personnel who were using UAS platforms for the first time. As an Aerosonde Operator, I safely maintained, operated, launched, and recovered aircraft to provide full-motion video to friendly forces. I have utilized my UAS expertise in this area to increase the maximum range for the Aerosonde UAS platform from 140 to 200 kilometers and slashed the time it takes to set up an operational Aerosonde UAS site, reducing the process from seven to three days. While responsible for launching, operating, and recovering air vehicles to provide full-motion video as Aerostar Internal Pilot and Shadow Air Vehicle and Sensor Operator earlier in my career, I gained additional experience working with counter threats, informing Brigade and other high-ranking staff,serving as an observer and controller, and conducting after-action reviews. I am currently reaching the end of obtaining my Bachelor's Degree majoring in Aviation with an ambitious drive to become apilot by profession. My time in the military has ingrained within me an appreciation foraccuracy, situational awareness, and stringent adherence to safety standards; skills that I will beconsistently focused on leveraging as a member of the aviation community.