FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, Calif. - Soldiers from the 603rd Military Police Company, Belton, Mo., participated in this year’s Warrior Exercise 91 12-01 to operate the AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven. The Raven is a small hand-launched remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicle, developed for the U.S. military, but now adopted by the military forces of many other countries. “It is diffidently a force multiplier, helping us to support convoys and FOB surveillance,” said Spc. Corey Lee. “Plus it’s fun to operate.”
Lee, who has been in the Army Reserve for five years, has been operating the Raven for eight months. He went to a two week course to be qualified to operate the drone. The Raven was originally introduced in 1999, but in 2002 it was developed into its current form. The craft is launched by hand and powered by an electric motor. It can fly up to 6.2 miles and up to 28-60 mph. “Hopefully, I will operate this drone for the rest of my enlistment,” said Lee.
The Raven is used by the United States Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Special Operations Command. Additionally, foreign customers include Australia, Estonia, Italy, Denmark, Spain and Czech 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.
Date Taken: | 06.15.2012 |
Date Posted: | 07.13.2012 13:31 |
Story ID: | 91505 |
Location: | JOLON, CALIFORNIA, US |
Web Views: | 186 |
Downloads: | 1 |
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