FRIDAY FOTO (August 16, 2019)

Blackjack Prep.

( Marine Corps photo by Corporal Adam Dublinske)

Meet  the RQ-21A Blackjack unmanned aerial system. Manufactured by Washington  state-based Insitu, Blackjack is a small tactical unmanned aircraft system (STUAS) capable of operating from land or sea. The aircraft is modular, meaning it can be loaded like a flying pick-up truck for a variety missions, providing rapid transitions between land and maritime environments.

Marines wearing the traditional green jackets of catapult operators on Navy flight decks, are seen here lifting the drone onto a launcher before flight operations aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) in the Arabian Sea on July 31, 2019.

The Murtha, a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship carrying elements from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit,  has been on its maiden deployment as part of the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group.