Even the little drones get a chance to play (and maybe they wont incur an NTSB investigation if they crash)…
From Military.coms Warfighters Forum:
As winter approaches in the northeastern mountains of this rugged country, U.S. and Pakistani forces are making every attempt to learn the whereabouts of Taliban and al-Qaida fighters who jump back and forth across the border.
One tool helping the U.S. military is the Raven, a small, unmanned aerial vehicle that, with its multiple real-time cameras, offers a bird’s-eye view of any movements on the ground within a three– to six-mile radius of where it is operated.
This lightweight, reconnaissance-only, remote-control “plane” can help save the lives of soldiers who, 10 or 20 years ago, might have had to provide on-site surveillance for platoons or patrols looking to assault a designated area.
“It takes soldiers off the front line,” said Cpl. Erick Rodas, 21, who was selected to familiarize eight soldiers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division and 173rd Airborne Brigade with the Raven.
“We have the capability to be where the enemy is, without sending men in first,” the Houston native continued.
The “front line” in this unconventional war is constantly evolving, making the Raven particularly effective. It can tell whether Taliban rebels are on the other side of a mountain that the troops want to traverse, for example.
In that case, Air Force fighter jets might be called in to drop bombs or strafe the insurgents.
However, along with its Predator counterpart, it has drawbacks. The Raven can be seen, and the Predator can both be seen and heard. The Predator is bigger and the power to make it fly compromises its stealth.
In Iraq, insurgents and civilians have figured out the Predator, but it still proves to be effective, according to military officials. The Raven, which is smaller, cannot be heard except when it is closer to the ground, so it has a slight edge. But it does not have a weapons-delivery capability, unlike the Predator and coming Reaper.
Troops say the Raven is fairly easy to operate.
“It’s fun and pretty straightforward,” said Staff Sgt. Chris Ellis, 35, from Cincinnati. “But it can be a little tricky to operate when there are crosswinds.”
He made the comments after having launched the craft on a successful training flight in Jalalabad. Ellis is a member of the 173rd Airborne’s brigade support battalion.
The Raven weighs just less than 4 pounds and can have a video-feed range of 1,000 feet in elevation.
It can be carried in a backpack and assembled in as little as five minutes, according to Rodas.
The Army is training more troops on the Raven so they can operate it regardless of their duty in a war zone.
“It’s possible for just one person to operate it, but ideally, two people should do it,” said Rodas, also a member of the brigade support battalion.
A remote-control panel operates the craft from the ground, while the operator watches a screen to monitor the Raven’s live video feed.
– Christian
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
How long before a drone becomes standard Company equipment (let alone a Platoon), similar to say a light mortar or HMG? Interesting
wish we had more of them. It would make security work easier for Security Forces (USAF)
I wish I was the sole supplier to the government.
But I’m not even a supplier yet. But I do sell to the public.
It also makes a ton of noise
Being an old ‘Nam LRP (E20th) and Ranger (C75th)
I say any tool that can be deployed such as this that has the potential to deliver real time intelligence as well as save lives is worth the money spent. Certainly the terrain in the region is ideal for visibility from above.
‘Drones,’ whichever progeny, should be standard issue, IMO. Perhaps our SIGINT/IMINT advances with regards to satellite availability is limited? Compromised continuously, no doubt about that. I find it doubtful that we lack the capability, or at least the potential for advancement of orbital intel capability.
Hopefully contractors will be able to get the latest projects released soon. The current units are too easy too shoot down. We should at least deploy the laser guided, plasma propelled protos.
On the side, is it BS that the rumors of a while back that the enemies of the State (e.g., Iraq/Iran) were using PlayStation or similar units in developments of their own drones or what not due to the fact that the technology was not export controlled?
I find it hard to believe that our intel groups would miss it, but then again, “Mine is not to wonder why but to do or die.”
If it will reduce,or prevent coalition casualties, I am all for it.
If it reduces,or eliminates coalition casualties,I all for it.
If it reduces,or eliminates coalition casualties,I am all for it.
We had ravens in afghanistan from march 06 to june 07 and to be honest those things are crap nobody in my unit used them plus we crashed one into the side of a hill and had to go find it that was fun. The concept of smaller a uav is a good thing but the technology needs to be improved so that it is more reliable
Is it possible for front line support troops to use both the Raven and the Pedator together with the Raven sielently searching and the Pradator ready on station out of sight to call in for a shoot if a target is located ?
i think that drones are great because they help to save our men and women over seas. soon they will hopefully patrol the whole world.
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