December 20,2008:
Italy has certified the U.S. Raven UAV (RQ-11B) for use by military and
civilian operators in Italian air space. There are many civilian uses of UAVs
(police, security, traffic control, search and rescue), but, worldwide,
aviation authorities are reluctant to allow UAVs into the air outside of
military training areas.
In the U.S.,
FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) insists that only UAVs that can see as well as
a human pilot can be used within the United States. No UAVs have this
capability (as it requires mounting several more vidcams to reproduce the view
from a cockpit, and more communications gear to transmit all that data). The
FAA believes that the many aircraft (plus gliders and balloons) that are already
in the air, without transponders, make these "enhanced" (with
additional sensors) UAVs a necessity. The FAA has the final word on what is
allowed to fly in the United States. For the moment, unenhanced UAVs can only
fly in specific zones that have been cleared, via an FAA order, of all aircraft
lacking a transponder. The FAA has cut the border patrol some slack, and allows
Predator UAVs to patrol the Mexican and Canadian border. While the Predator
weighs over a ton, the Raven weighs under five pounds. This is less than most
birds involved in the hundreds of damaging collisions with aircraft each year
in the United States. But what worries the FAA here is that 61 percent of bird
collisions take place at very low altitude (under a hundred feet), and only 8
percent take place above 3,000 feet where most UAVs operate.
Italy
appears to regard the Raven as another bird, and less likely to collide with an
aircraft, as the UAV is in view of its operator when in the air. Currently,
Ravens are in the air over 300,000 hours a year for combat missions (mainly in
Iraq and Afghanistan). So far, over 9,000 Ravens have been delivered or are on
order. The Raven B (RQ-11A), introduced
this year, weighs a little more (4.3 pounds), but has much better sensors, and
the option of carrying a laser designator. Raven B flight performance is better
as well.
This little
machine, that looks like a toy, has revolutionized battlefield intelligence and
made a dramatic change in the way infantry leaders run battles. The 4.2 pound
Raven A is inexpensive ($35,000 each) and can stay in the air for 80 minutes at
a time. The Raven is also battery powered (and silent), and carries a color day
vidcam, or a two color infrared night camera. Both cameras broadcast real time
video back to the operator, who controls the Raven via a laptop computer. The
Raven can go as fast as 90 kilometers an hour, but usually cruises at between
40 and 50. It can go as far as 15 kilometers from its controller, and usually
flies a preprogrammed route, using GPS for navigation. The Raven is made of
Kevlar, the same material used in helmets and protective vests. On average,
Raven can survive about 200 landings before it breaks something. While some
Ravens have been shot down, the most common cause of loss is the communications link failing (as the
aircraft flies out of range, usually) or a software/hardware failure on the
aircraft. The flight control software has a "failsafe" mode, so that
when the radio link between aircraft and operator is lost, the aircraft will
immediately head for home (where it was launched from). Raven B has a rescue
beacon in the tail, that puts out a location signal. If a helicopter can be
used, the downed Raven can be quickly retrieved and repaired.
The big
advantage with Raven is that it's simple, reliable, and it works. A complete
system (controller, spare parts and three UAVs) costs $240,000. The UAV can be
quickly taken apart and put into a backpack. It takes off by having the
operator start the motor, and then throwing it. This can be done from a moving
vehicle, and the Raven is a popular recon tool for convoys. It lands by coming
in low and then turning the motor off. Special Forces troops like to use it at night, because the enemy can't
see it, and often can't hear it as well.
The
controller allows the operator to capture video, or still pictures, and
transmit them to other units or a headquarters. The operator often does this
while the Raven is flying a pre-programmed pattern (using GPS). The operator
can have the UAV stop and circle, in effect keeping the camera on the same
piece of ground below. The operator can
also fly the Raven, which is often used when pursuing hostile gunmen.
Larger UAVs
(like the 350 pound U.S. Army Shadow 200, and Predator type aircraft) are being
equipped with better anti-collision devices. Research indicates that UAVs equipped
with these new systems will be less prone to collision than small commercial
aircraft (which typically have only one pilot, who is often distracted while in
the air.)