Handheld Aircraft Provides Birds Eye View

TAJI, IRAQ

10.19.2004

Courtesy Story

DVIDS Hub       

By Cpl. Benjamin Cossel

CAMP TAJI, Iraq - "Lift, LIFT!" came the excited cry from the darkness. Slowly the little glider ascended into the night sky. "We've got a video feed heading to first location," confirmed a disembodied voice.

Adding another tool to their already impressive arsenal, Soldiers of the 39th Brigade Combat Team's 239th Military Intelligence Company use the Raven Unmanned Aerial Vehicle to provide reconnaissance and surveillance in support of Brigade missions.

"Prior to the Raven being fielded by the Army, UAVs were strictly a division level asset," explained Sgt. Tim Enright of the Maryland National Guard's 629th Military Intelligence Company attached to the 239th.

The Baltimore resident went on to explain that many of the attributes of the aircraft; it's size, and it's weight and ability to launch virtually anywhere make it an ideal asset for a brigade size element."

At its longest point, the wingspan, it's only 4 feet, 5 inches. It only weighs 4 pounds, and you launch it by getting a running start and throwing it into the air," he said. "With no requirements for an airfield and so easily carried, this little baby is perfect for a brigade."

The small size of the Raven UAV becomes clearly apparent when compared to the division level asset, the Shadow UAV. The handheld Raven is extremely lightweight in contrast to the Shadow's 320 pounds. Its wingspan is more than 10 feet larger then that of it's "little brother."

The entire system is contained within three large suitcase sized trunks. Within the cases is the antenna receiver system, the disassembled body of the Raven and the spare parts occasionally needed due to the aircrafts unique landing style.

"Landing this bird [the Raven] is the craziest thing," explained Conway, Ark. resident Spc. Michael Rodenberg. "You get the aircraft reasonably close to your position, you get the altitude down to about 50 to 20 feet, and then you just cut the engines and let it drop out of the sky!"

Enright elaborated that the design of the Raven is intended to handle the impact of the landing."

The fiberglass construction of the body and the fact that it comes dissembled - thus the aircraft falls apart on pre-made seams - prevents it from breaking when it lands," he said. "But it doesn't always work, that's why we carry extra parts with us."While small in stature, the Raven comes big on capabilities, all the while requiring just three soldiers to operate.

"Within ten minutes of an order being given, my team can be set up and ready to fly," Enright said.

"As long as we get air space clearance, we are up in the air heading to our first coordinate, feeding back real-time reconnaissance to our ground control units."The control team on the ground is comprised of two Soldiers. One Soldier works as the navigator, the other works as mission control.

The final member of the team coordinates with air control towers clearing airspace as well as relaying any intelligence the Raven detects to commanders on the ground."We can fly using preprogrammed grid coordinates or we can go fully manual," said Sgt. Joshua Harris of the 629th MI Detachment.

"As the navigator makes sure the Raven is heading to the proper location or guides it during manual operations, mission control calls out what is being displayed on the screen." Lodged in the belly of the Raven sits a video camera the team can swap out depending upon the mission.

There is one for night and one for day."We truly are able to operate at anytime and just about anywhere," Enright commented. "And when you add in the training cycle to get a Soldier up to speed to operate the Raven, the benefits just keep adding up."

Within the MI Company, Enright was one of the few trained on the Raven's operation prior to being deployed.

"We sent a couple of our Soldiers down to Kuwait to get them qualified. The whole course is only two weeks," he said. "With such a short training cycle, you can more afford to loose a Soldier for that time frame knowing what they will come back qualified to do."Extolling the virtues of the Raven, Enright noted that there was only one, in his opinion, drawback to the Raven's capabilities.

"The only place where I can really see the size of the Raven working against it is its inability to carry any sort of weaponry. It would be nice to be able to identify, say, an enemy mortar team, request permission to engage, and to then destroy the enemy."

Offensive capabilities notwithstanding, for commanders on the ground who rely on critical immediate intelligence, the Raven has been an overwhelming success, he added.

"We've heard several times from company and battalion level commanders how appreciative they are of the intelligence we provide," said Enright. "Anytime you can let a commander know what they're walking into without risking a Soldiers life, well, that's pretty much what it's all about."

• Date Taken: 10.19.2004
• Date Posted: 10.19.2004 11:36
• Story ID: 519
• Location: TAJI, IQ