AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven

RQ-11 Raven
An RQ-11 Raven UAV in flight
General information
TypeMiniature UAV[1]
ManufacturerAeroVironment
StatusIn active service
Primary usersUnited States Army
Number built19,000+ airframes
History
Manufactured2004–present
Introduction dateMay 2003
First flightOctober 2001
Developed fromFQM-151 Pointer

The AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven is a small hand-launched remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicle (or SUAV)[2] developed for the United States military, but now adopted by the military forces of many other countries.

The RQ-11 Raven was originally introduced as the FQM-151 in 1999, but in 2002 developed into its current form,[3] 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.[4][unreliable source?] The U.S. Army deploys the Raven at company-level.[5]

  1. ^ "RQ-11 Raven". GlobalSecurity.org. Archived from the original on 21 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
  2. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-09-19. Retrieved 2015-03-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ Tomlinson, Cpl Ryan L (2008-05-14). "Gunfighter debuts Raven". IIMEF, Official Site US Marine Corps, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Bn. Retrieved 2010-02-23. [dead link]
  4. ^ "RQ-11 Raven". Army-technology.com. Archived from the original on 2011-04-03. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
  5. ^ Mini Drones Win Soldier Praise at Army Experiment Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine - Kitup.Military.com, 6 March 2015