Students from the Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus recently toured 1st Infantry Division UAS facilities at the Fort Riley Military Base in Kansas.

During their tour, students met with soldiers and learned about the Shadow and Gray Eagle UAS from Army maintainers and pilots.

“It's really cool to be here and to see the pinnacle of UAS tech,” says K-State senior in the UAS operations program Chris Horton.

For Horton, who hopes to land jobs working as government contractors, this was his first time seeing Fenix Company's Gray Eagles up close and in person.

“It's cool to get a sneak peek at what I could possibly be doing in the future,” Horton says.

According to retired Chief Warrant Officer 4 Sam Kleinbeck, who retired from military service at Fort Riley, and was one of the original warrant officers who started the Army's large UAS program, it’s important for everyone to understand how both sides of the fence operate.

Kleinbeck is now a Kansas State UAS professor, and is working to strengthen the relationship between civilians and soldiers, as there is a major shift in academic and the Department of Defense.

A lot of soldiers who have the most UAS experience don't get degrees when they get out of the Army, and civilian companies are looking for the experience with the schooling.

“So we're trying to build that bridge between us where the Soldiers that have the experience, we can give them the education that they need to succeed in life after the Army,” Kleinbeck says.

Ultimately, Kleinbeck wants to put soldiers and civilians in the same classroom so they can discuss future projects and work together in completing their educations.

“The Soldiers have the experience and the civilians have the education, so we need to put them together not just bridge a gap -- literally mix them in together to move UAS forward,” Kleinbeck explains.

Kleinbeck says that together, the two groups are determined to push UAS into the next century.