Simple, reliable and compact: Ukraine to receive a large batch of RQ-11 Raven reconnaissance drones
A new $725m military aid package from the USA, The US has allocated a new $725m military aid package to Ukraine, which will include ammunition for HIMARS, NASAMS and other critical weapons, claims that Ukraine will receive a large batch of RQ-11 Raven reconnaissance drones.
Here's What We Know
The RQ-11 Raven is a rather old drone model, which, in fact, laid the foundation for the use of UAVs in infantry units.
Defence Express explained that the RQ-11 Raven, developed by US company AeroVironment, is a compact drone for reconnaissance, surveillance and target designation at the tactical level.
Its main feature is compactness and mobility: no additional infrastructure is needed to launch Raven, the drone is manually launched, which allows it to be used in almost any environment. It can be controlled both manually and by predefined routes.
RQ-11 Raven characteristics
- Wingspan - 1.37 metres;
- length - 0.91 metres;
- mass - 2.2 kg (without payload) and about 2.7 kg with a camera;
- flight range - up to 10 kilometres;
- flight duration - 60 to 90 minutes;
- speed - about 45 km/h;
- maximum flight altitude - up to 300 metres;
- equipment - optical and infrared camera, which transmits video in real time to the ground control centre.
Defence Express experts believe that compared to modern drones, the RQ-11 Raven looks outdated and will not change the situation on the battlefield, but in the conditions of the war in Ukraine, where an incredible number of UAVs are used, each device is worth its weight in gold, especially such an easy-to-use one.
Source: Defence Express
