On Nov. 5, a new small UAS training facility called the Training and Logistics Support Activity (TALSA) Pacific (PAC) opened for Marines stationed in the Pacific region.

TALSA PAC is located at Marine Corps Base (MCB) Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, and managed by the Navy and Marine Corps Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program Office (PMA-263), located in Maryland.

TALSA PAC is scheduled to start a full curriculum in Spring 2019.

“As Marine units continue to increase their demand for small UAS, it was critical that we stand up a TALSA in the Pacific,” says Col. John Neville, PMA-263 program manager who oversees the SUAS procurement program and TALSAs.

“As we continue to expand our small UAS portfolio, having a dedicated facility with qualified instructors to provide quality training and certifications to our Marines is paramount.”

This is the third facility of its kind dedicated to small UAS training and logistics. Since 2012 and 2013, respectively, the other two facilities, TALSA East and TALSA West, have been used by PMA-263 to qualify small UAS operators. TALSA East is located at MCB Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, while TALSA West is located at MCB Camp Pendleton, California.

TALSA is the central location for all Marine Corps small UAS entry-level training programs and logistics support.

Additionally, TALSA supports centralized storage of unit systems, supply and maintenance services. As a collective, the TALSA provides small UAS operators with the skills and system readiness needed to support their unit when it comes to boots-on-the-ground intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, force protection, and battlefield awareness.

“These skills and the continued refinement of Techniques, Tactics, and Procedures, all of which will be cataloged by TALSA PAC, will allow the MEF to deploy and employ our forces with greater lethality and flexibility in the years to come,” explains Maj. Diego Miranda, intelligence officer, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division. 

TALSA courses cover both fixed-wing and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAS. The fixed-wing UAS covered include the RQ-20B Puma, the RQ-11B Raven, and the RQ-12A Wasp IV, while the VTOL UAS covered include the Nano VTOL - PD-100 Black Hornet, the Micro VTOL – InstantEye, and the VTOL – SkyRanger.