AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven

Lore & Background

The RQ-11 Raven was originally introduced as the FQM-151 in 1999, but in 2002 developed into its current form, resembling an enlarged FAI class F1C free flight model aircraft. It is launched by hand and powered by a pusher configuration electric motor. The Raven can fly up to 10 km at altitudes of 100-500 m above ground level, and over 4,200 m above mean sea level, at speeds of 32-81 km/h. The U.S. Army deploys the Raven at company-level.

The Raven RQ-11B UAS is manufactured by AeroVironment. It won the US Army's SUAV program in 2005 and went into Full-Rate Production in 2006. It was later adopted by the US Marines and the US Air Force for their FPASS Program. The Raven can be remotely controlled or fly autonomous missions using GPS waypoint navigation. Standard mission payloads include CCD color video cameras and an infrared night vision camera. The Raven lands itself via a controlled 45° slope 'Autoland' descent.

In mid-2015, the US Marine Corps tested Harris Corporation's Small Secure Data Link, a radio device fitting onto the Raven's nose to provide beyond line-of-sight communications. In August 2015, selected units began receiving upgrades to a rotating camera with a 360-degree gimbal. In August 2017, Belgium bought 32 Raven-drones; Luxembourg bought 16. Variants include the RQ-11A Raven A, RQ-11B Raven B, CU-173 Raven B for Canada, and the Solar Raven, which integrated flexible solar panels to increase endurance by 60%.

Reader's Guide

The RQ-11 Raven's significance lies in its widespread adoption and role as a standard small unmanned aerial system for military forces globally. With over 19,000 airframes delivered, it became the most widely adopted UAV system in the world. Its hand-launched design and autonomous landing made it accessible for company-level and squad-level use, providing day or night aerial intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance. The Raven's ability to be upgraded with beyond line-of-sight communications and a 360-degree gimbal camera extended its utility beyond simple reconnaissance to acting as a communications node for ground forces, a function previously restricted to larger platforms. Its adoption by numerous countries—including Australia, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Pakistan, and Ukraine—demonstrated its global reach. The Raven's legacy includes influencing the development of smaller, more portable UAVs, though the US Marine Corps retired the RQ-11B in January 2023 in favor of the VTOL FLIR Systems R80 SkyRaider, which offers easier launch and recovery and hover-and-stare capability.

Did You Know?

• The Raven was originally introduced as the FQM-151 in 1999 before developing into its current form in 2002.
• More than 19,000 Raven airframes have been delivered to customers worldwide.
• In August 2017, Belgium bought 32 Raven-drones and Luxembourg bought 16.

Technical Design & Flight Profile

The RQ-11 Raven is a compact, hand-thrown unmanned aircraft that draws its visual lineage from enlarged free-flight model airplanes. Weighing roughly 1.9 kilograms, the craft is propelled by a pusher-configuration electric motor and can be launched simply by throwing it into the air. Once airborne, it cruises at speeds between 32 and 81 kilometers per hour, operating at altitudes from 100 to 500 meters above ground level and exceeding 4,200 meters above mean sea level. Its effective operational radius stretches to about 10 kilometers, with a flight endurance of 60 to 90 minutes. The Raven carries standard payloads of a CCD color video camera and an infrared night-vision sensor, enabling both day and night reconnaissance. Pilots may fly the aircraft remotely from a ground station or program it to execute fully autonomous missions via GPS waypoint navigation, with a single-button command available to recall it to its launch point. Recovery is handled by an autopiloted Autoland sequence in which the drone descends at a controlled 45-degree slope to a pre-defined landing spot. The U.S. Army fields the platform at the company level.

Global Proliferation & International Operators

Since entering full-rate production in 2006 after winning the U.S. Army's Small Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle competition the previous year, the Raven has become the most widely adopted unmanned aerial system on the planet, with more than 19,000 airframes delivered to customers worldwide. Beyond the United States Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Special Operations Command, the platform has found a home in the armed forces of Australia, Estonia, Italy, Denmark, Spain, the Czech Republic, and Canada, where it is designated the CU-173. The Netherlands committed 23.74 million dollars to 72 operational systems for its Army reconnaissance units, Marine Corps, and special forces. In 2017, Belgium purchased 32 units and Luxembourg 16. The United States also supplied 85 Raven B systems to the Pakistan Army in 2011, provided four to Ugandan and Burundian forces supporting the African Union mission in Somalia, and introduced the platform to the Kenya Army in 2016. Ukraine received Ravens as well, though its operators voiced concerns about the analog control link's vulnerability to jamming by sophisticated adversaries.

Technological Evolution & Sensor Upgrades

The Raven's lineage traces back to the FQM-151, first introduced in 1999, before it was reworked into its current configuration in 2002. Over the following decade and a half, the platform absorbed a steady stream of capability enhancements. In mid-2015, the U.S. Marine Corps fielded tests of Harris Corporation's Small Secure Data Link, a 25-cubic-inch, 18-ounce radio module that snaps onto the nose and extends beyond-line-of-sight communications down to squad level—a role previously reserved for much larger platforms like the RQ-4 Global Hawk. That same year, selected units received a 360-degree rotating gimbal camera that replaced the earlier fixed sensor, allowing operators to sweep their field of view without maneuvering the airframe and to switch between day and night modes without landing. A Digital Data Link-enabled variant entered production for U.S. forces and allied partners, bringing improved endurance among other refinements. In 2012, the Air Force Research Laboratory demonstrated the Solar Raven, embedding 20-square-centimeter flexible photovoltaic panels into the wing sections and boosting endurance by 60 percent over the standard battery system.

Combat Deployments & Retirement

The Raven has seen action across multiple theaters. Danish soldiers deployed the drone around Forward Operating Base Armadillo in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, a deployment later documented in the 2010 film Armadillo. British forces employed Raven equipment in Iraq, while Dutch operators flew the system over the village of Veen during a civil-military cooperation operation at the turn of 2009-2010, and the Defense department even loaned a Raven to the Almere police in 2012 and 2013 to help combat burglary. The aircraft also appeared in the 2012 action film Act of Valor, where SEAL operators used it in a tactical scenario. Iran claimed to have captured two Ravens in 2011 and 2012 and stated that much of their data had been decoded. The platform's service life in U.S. hands came to a close in January 2023, when the Marine Corps retired the RQ-11B in favor of the FLIR Systems R80 SkyRaider, a vertical take-off and landing drone judged easier to launch and recover.