The AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven is a small hand-launched remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicle (or SUAV ) developed for the United States military , but now adopted by the military forces of many other countries.
20-537: The RQ-11 Raven was originally introduced as the FQM-151 in 1999, but in 2002 developed into its current form, resembling an enlarged FAI class F1C free flight model aircraft in general appearance. The craft is launched by hand and powered by a pusher configuration electric motor. The plane can fly up to 10 km at altitudes of approximately 150 m above ground level , and over 4,500 m above mean sea level , at flying speeds of 45–100 km/h. The U.S. Army deploys
40-471: A VTOL UAV that is easier to launch and recover and can provide a hover-and-stare surveillance capability. Related lists FQM-151 The AeroVironment FQM-151 Pointer is a small UAV used by the United States Army and Marine Corps for battlefield surveillance. It was designed by AeroVironment Incorporated , formerly led by Paul MacCready , noted for such pioneering aircraft as
60-450: A pusher propeller on the wing behind the pylon. A lithium battery pack powered the UAV's compact electric motor to rotate the propeller. The little Pointer was hand-launched. It was recovered simply by putting it into a flat spin , allowing it to flutter down to the ground. The Pointer carried a CCD camera fixed in its nose, meaning it had to be directly pointed at its target to see it, which
80-560: A radio device that fits onto a Raven's nose to provide beyond line-of-sight communications for Marines down to squad level. Acting as communications nodes for ground forces has become an important function for UASs, but has been restricted to larger platforms like the RQ-4 Global Hawk or RQ-21 Blackjack . Being certified for 'Secret' classification and at just 25 cubic inches (410 cm) (measuring 3 in × 5.3 in × 1.6 in) and weighing 18 oz (510 g),
100-630: A total value of $ 23.74 million for use within Army reconnaissance units, its Marine Corps and its Special Forces (KCT). At the turn of the year 2009 to 2010 the systems were deployed above the village Veen, as part of the Intensification of Civil-Military Cooperation. In 2012 and 2013 the Raven was loaned by the Defense department to the police department of Almere to combat burglary. In April 2011,
120-511: Is how the machine got its name. The CCD camera had a resolution of 360 x 380 pixels and a viewing aperture of 22 x 30 degrees. Video could be fed back to the ground station by radio or fiber-optic link. The ground station recorded flight imagery on an eight-millimeter video cassette recorder. Digital compass headings were superimposed on the imagery and the controller could add verbal comments. The imagery could be inspected with normal, freeze-frame, fast, or slow-motion replay. The aircraft system and
140-529: Is launched by hand, thrown into the air like a free flight model airplane. The Raven lands itself by auto-piloting to a pre-defined landing point and then performing a 45° slope (1 foot down for every 1 foot forward) controlled "Autoland" descent. The UAS can provide day or night aerial intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance. In mid-2015, the US Marine Corps tested Harris Corporation 's Small Secure Data Link (SSDL),
160-608: Is used by the United States Army , Air Force , Marine Corps , and Special Operations Command . Additionally, foreign customers include Australia , Estonia , Italy , Denmark , Spain and Czech Republic . As of early 2012, over 19,000 airframes have already been shipped, making it the most widely adopted UAV system in the world today. The British forces in Iraq used Raven equipment. The Royal Danish Army acquired 12 Raven systems in September 2007; three systems will be delivered to
180-682: The Huntsmen Corps , while the remainder will be deployed with soldiers from the Artillery Training Center. A 2010 documentary film, Armadillo , shows Danish forces deploying a Raven in operations around FOB Armadillo in the Helmand province of Afghanistan. The drone also makes an appearance being used by the SEAL operators in the 2012 film Act of Valor . The Netherlands MoD has acquired 72 operational RQ-11B systems with
200-563: The Harris SSDL allows the small Raven UAS to extend communications for troops in the field. In August 2015 selected units began receiving upgrades to their Raven sensors. The Raven Gimbal is a rotating camera with a 360-degree gimbal , which replaces the fixed camera that required maneuvering the aircraft to observe. The new camera can be switched between day and night settings without landing and swapping sensors. In August 2017 Belgium bought 32 Raven-drones; Luxembourg bought 16. The Raven
220-854: The Raven at company -level. The Raven RQ-11B UAS is manufactured by AeroVironment. It was the winner of the US Army's SUAV program in 2005, and went into Full-Rate Production (FRP) in 2006. Shortly afterwards, it was also adopted by the US Marines, and the US Air Force for their ongoing FPASS Program. It has also been adopted by the military forces of many other countries (see below). More than 19,000 Raven airframes have been delivered to customers worldwide to date. A new Digital Data Link-enabled version of Raven now in production for US Forces and allies has improved endurance, among many other improvements. The Raven can be either remotely controlled from
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#1732780811647240-546: The U.S. announced that it would be supplying 85 Raven B systems to the Pakistan Army. In June 2011, the U.S. announced $ 145.4 million in proposed aid for anti-terror efforts in north and east Africa, including four Raven systems to be used by forces from Uganda and Burundi as part of the ongoing African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia. The US has also announced its intent to supply an unspecified number of Ravens to
260-619: The Ukrainian armed forces. Ukrainian operators criticized the Raven's analog control system that made them vulnerable to jamming and hacking by sophisticated Russian-backed separatists. Iran has claimed it has captured two RQ-11, one "in Shahrivar 1390 (August 21 – September 19, 2011) and the other one in Aban (October 22 – November 20, 2012)". It also indicated that "much of the data of these drones has been decoded", but did not indicate whether
280-430: The base was established. The base was then renamed to FOB Budwan in 2010. It was one of three smaller forward operating bases (FOBs) used by British and Danish forces around Gereshk (the others being FOB Sandford and FOB Keenan ) in addition to their headquarters at FOB Price . It has been used by: The base was renamed in 2010 to Budwan A Danish documentary film of the same name released in 2010, followed
300-738: The drone has been duplicated, as has been done with the RQ-170 and the Boeing Insitu ScanEagle . In September 2016, the Kenya Army was introduced to the Raven, and would "now be able to take lessons learned from the Raven training and apply them" on operations. In January 2023, the U.S. Marine Corps revealed they had retired the RQ-11B Raven SUAS in favor of the FLIR Systems R80 SkyRaider,
320-625: The ground control station were carried in separate backpacks. It required a pilot and an observer. The Pointers in US military service have now been upgraded with a GPS/INS capability, and it has led to a number of derivatives. chapter. The Pointer itself remains in use, having seen action during the intervention in Afghanistan in 2001 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003. General characteristics Performance Related development This article contains material that originally came from
340-497: The ground station or fly completely autonomous missions using GPS waypoint navigation. The UA can be ordered to immediately return to its launch point by pressing a single command button. Standard mission payloads include CCD color video cameras and an infrared night vision camera . The RQ-11B Raven UA weighs about 1.9 kg (4.2 lb), has a flight endurance of 60–90 minutes and an effective operational radius of approximately 10 km (6.2 miles). The RQ-11B Raven UA
360-409: The human-powered Gossamer Condor and a robotic flying pterodactyl replica. The Pointer was developed with company funds, with the US Army and Marine Corps obtaining a total of about 50 units beginning in 1990. The radio-controlled Pointer was built mostly of high-impact Kevlar . It resembled hobbyist's RC sailplane with a small engine added, with the wing standing up above the fuselage on a pylon and
380-468: The web article Unmanned Aerial Vehicles by Greg Goebel, which exists in the Public Domain. This United States Army article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article on an unmanned aerial vehicle is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Forward Operating Base Armadillo Forward Operating Base Budwan , or more simply, FOB Budwan ,
400-489: Was a military base located near Gereshk , in the Helmand province of Afghanistan . It was occupied by International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces from the United Kingdom and Denmark as part of Task Force Helmand during Operation Herrick (OP H). The base was originally named FOB Armadillo after the mascot of a Danish company commander, Major Anders Stæhr Storrud, who was killed three months before
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