AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven

RQ-11 Raven
RQ-11 Raven
	An RQ-11 Raven UAV in flight
General information
Type	Miniature UAV
Manufacturer	AeroVironment
Status	In active service
Primary users	United States Army United States Air Force
Number built	19,000+ airframes
History
Manufactured	2004–present
Introduction date	May 2003
First flight	October 2001
Developed from	FQM-151 Pointer

TheAeroVironment RQ-11 Ravenis a small hand-launched remote-controlledunmanned aerial vehicle(orSUAV)^[2]developed for theUnited States military,but now adopted by the military forces of many other countries.

The RQ-11 Raven was originally introduced as theFQM-151in 1999, but in 2002 developed into its current form,^[3]resembling an enlargedFAIclass F1Cfree flightmodel aircraft in general appearance. The craft is launched by hand and powered by apusher configurationelectric motor. The plane can fly up to 10 km at altitudes of approximately 150 mabove ground level,and over 4,500 m abovemean sea level,at flying speeds of 45–100 km/h.^[4]^{[unreliable source?]}The U.S. Army deploys the Raven atcompany-level.^[5]

Design and development

The Raven RQ-11B UAS is manufactured by AeroVironment. It was the winner of the US Army'sSUAVprogram 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 ongoingFPASSProgram. 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.^{[citation needed]}

The Raven can be either remotely controlled from the ground station or fly completely autonomous missions usingGPSwaypoint navigation. The UA can be ordered to immediately return to its launch point by pressing a single command button.^[1]Standard mission payloads includeCCDcolor video cameras and aninfrared night vision camera.^{[citation needed]}

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).^[6]

The RQ-11B Raven UA is launched by hand, thrown into the air like afree flightmodel 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.^{[citation needed]}

In mid-2015, the US Marine Corps testedHarris Corporation's Small Secure Data Link (SSDL), 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 theRQ-4 Global HawkorRQ-21 Blackjack.Being certified for 'Secret' classification and at just 25 cubic inches (410 cm³) (measuring 3 in × 5.3 in × 1.6 in) and weighing 18 oz (510 g), the Harris SSDL allows the small Raven UAS to extend communications for troops in the field.^[7]

In August 2015 selected units began receiving upgrades to their Raven sensors. The Raven Gimbal is a rotating camera with a 360-degreegimbal,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.^[8]In August 2017 Belgium bought 32 Raven-drones; Luxembourg bought 16.^{[citation needed]}

Variants

RQ-11A Raven A(no longer in production)^{[citation needed]}
RQ-11B Raven B^{[citation needed]}
CU-173 Raven B- version for theCanadian Armed Forces^[9]
Solar Raven– In November 2012, theAir Force Research Laboratoryintegrated 20 cm²(3.1 in²) flexible solar panels into the Raven platform's wing sections using a clear, protective plastic film and an adhesive to augment the existing battery power system, increasing endurance by 60%. Future improvements include improving the durability of the solar panels and reducing their weight. Integration work is also being conducted on theAeroVironment Waspand theRQ-20 Puma.^[10]^{[unreliable source?]}

Operators

The Raven is used by theUnited States Army,Air Force,Marine Corps,andSpecial Operations Command.Additionally, foreign customers includeAustralia,Estonia,Italy,Denmark,SpainandCzech 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.^[11]

The British forces in Iraq used Raven equipment.^[12]TheRoyal Danish Armyacquired 12 Raven systems in September 2007; three systems will be delivered to theHuntsmen Corps,while the remainder will be deployed with soldiers from the Artillery Training Center.^[13]A 2010 documentary film,Armadillo,shows Danish forces deploying a Raven in operations aroundFOB Armadilloin theHelmand provinceof Afghanistan. The drone also makes an appearance being used by theSEALoperators in the 2012 filmAct of Valor.^{[citation needed]}

The Netherlands MoD has acquired 72 operational RQ-11B systems with a total value of $23.74 million for use within Army reconnaissance units, its Marine Corps and its Special Forces (KCT).^[14]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.^[15]In 2012 and 2013 the Raven was loaned by the Defense department to the police department ofAlmereto combat burglary.^[16]

In April 2011, the U.S. announced that it would be supplying 85 Raven B systems to the Pakistan Army.^{[citation needed]}

In June 2011, the U.S. announced $145.4 million in proposed aid for anti-terror efforts in north and east Africa,^[17]including four Raven systems to be used by forces from Uganda and Burundi as part of the ongoing African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia.^[18]The US has also announced its intent to supply an unspecified number of Ravens to the Ukrainian armed forces.^[19]Ukrainian operators criticized the Raven's analog control system that made them vulnerable to jamming and hacking by sophisticated Russian-backed separatists.^[20]

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)".^[21]It also indicated that "much of the data of these drones has been decoded", but did not indicate whether the drone has been duplicated, as has been done with theRQ-170and theBoeing Insitu ScanEagle.^[22]

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, theU.S. Marine Corpsrevealed they had retired the RQ-11B Raven SUAS in favor of theFLIR SystemsR80 SkyRaider, aVTOLUAV that is easier to launch and recover and can provide a hover-and-stare surveillance capability.^[23]

Design and development

Variants

Operators

Current operators

Specifications

See also

References

External links