Army to field upgraded Raven UAV in December

[unhappycamper]

Army Spc. Cal Treen of 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, launches a Raven "B" system June 22 in support of Iraqi army operations in Iraq.


Army to field upgraded Raven UAV in December
By Tony Lombardo - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Nov 2, 2009 6:47:51 EST

When a commander in the war zone needs a bird’s eye view, it often means grabbing a nearby rucksack and releasing a small unmanned aerial vehicle dubbed the Raven.

Tossed to the skies and controlled from the ground, soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan are using the UAV for overhead observation.

The Raven has proven critical to the fight, and new advancements will be hitting the field starting in December, according to Program Executive Office Aviation.

Here’s an overview of the UAV.

The main uses of the Raven are surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition, said Max Mitchell, deputy product manager for the Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems product office. The Raven functions in day and night, and it can send live video and still images.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/11/army_raven_110209w/



unhappycamper comment: And the best part is it only costs $35,000 a pop!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RQ-11_Raven

[tech9413]

1. As a radio control pilot and builder, I could do it for about $5K

There are off the shelf telemetry/video systems for anywhere from $500 to $3K. The airframe, even if you rely on carbon fiber or more exotic construction materials shouldn't take more than $1K.
I guess that $30K profit is needed to provide the incentive for development and innovation. NOT