AFSOC to field backpack-sized UAV

AFSOC to field backpack-sized UAV
By Erik Holmes - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jan 4, 2008 6:10:23 EST

The Air Force has approved full-rate production of the backpack-sized Wasp III unmanned aerial vehicle, the aircraft’s manufacturer, AeroVironment Inc., announced Thursday.

The Wasp III is part of the Air Force’s BATMAV program — short for Battlefield Air Targeting Micro Air Vehicle – that is intended to allow battlefield airmen to look for enemy targets beyond their line of sight.

Air Force Special Operations Command began testing the tiny UAV in October and is expected to field the system with AFSOC combat controllers soon.

The Wasp III has a wingspan of 29 inches, weighs 1 pound and carries forward- and side-looking color cameras, according to an AeroVironment press release.

The aircraft can fly for up to 45 minutes and up to 5 kilometers from the control transceiver, according to the release. It can be controlled manually or set to auto-pilot, according to an AFSOC fact sheet.


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/01/airforce_batmav_080103W/



uhc comment: Meet the Wasp III:



http://www.defense-update.com/products/w/wasp3.htm

Weighing only one pound (430 gr.), Wasp III has a wing span of 2.375 ft (72 cm). Wasp III Micro unmanned aircraft sytems from Aerovironment is a small, electrically powered unmmanned aerial vehicle developed under a DARPA Micro-UAV program. Wasp III is Equipped with forward and side looking color video cameras, as well as a modular forward or side looking electo-optical infrared payload.

In 2006 the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) selected the Wasp III as its Battlefield Air Targeting Micro Air Vehicle' (BATMAV). AFSOC plans to use these systems in support of ground combat contriller teams. In 2007 the US Air Force recently took delivery of the first production version of the BATMAV. AV is producing the systems under a $45 million, five year contract to supply 30 systems to the US Air Force.



http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htairfo/articles/20071027.aspx

Smaller Is Sometimes Better

October 27, 2007: Despite the huge success of the 4.2 pound U.S. Raven UAV (nearly 4,000 in service), there is still a demand for even smaller UAVs. After over two years of testing and further development, the U.S. Marine Corps are sending the one pound Wasp III Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) to Iraq and Afghanistan. The Wasp III (now also known as BATMAV) is a flat, rectangular "flying wing" (29 inch wingspan), that can stay in the air for about 45 minutes (PHOTO). Once the battery powered propeller is spinning, the operator throws Wasp into the air, and off it goes, usually at a 100 foot altitude. You land it by pressing the autoland button, after you have entered GPS coordinates of where you want it to return to. The propeller often breaks off when it lands, but the Wasp was designed for that, and you just snap on another propeller. The $5-10,000 MAV can survive about twenty such landings. The MAV is controlled via a hand held ($30,000) device that looks like a Gameboy, but has a seven inch color screen and controls laid out for easy use. BATMAV operators do require more training than most other UAVs, because the Wasp travels closer to the ground, and the system is designed to let one operator control several Wasps at once. The Wasp III is a larger version of the original seven ounce Wasp, which proved too lightweight and vulnerable to even light winds.

The Wasp carries a GPS, and microprocessor that keeps it stable in flight. It can also hover like a helicopter, a very useful capability for urban combat. The operator can also select a route via GPS coordinates, and order it to circle an area at any time. Two color video cameras are carried (one looking forward, and one looking to the rear), and then the Wasp is a hundred feet up, you can make out people below, and whether they are armed. The Wasp moves at a speed of 35-75 kilometers an hour (or about 9-19 meters a second). The controller can remain in touch with a Wasp that is up to five kilometers away, after which the operator losses control, and the video feed.

The controller, which is the same one used for larger micro-UAVs like the Raven and Pointer, makes training easier. The version going into action is waterproof and has a night (infrared) camera. The major shortcoming of the BATMAV is the difficulty of using it in windy or stormy conditions. This is a problem with all lightweight UAVs, and is particularly bad with the tiny BATMAV. The troops, however, are happy to have it. The system is rugged, lightweight and simple to use. When the air is fairly still, the BATMAV can go up and provide the troops with a major battlefield advantage.

The army Special Forces and Air For Special Operations troops are also using BATMAV, mainly because it is so small and light, which makes carrying it around a lot easier.



Wow. The $10,000 Wasp III is good for twenty landings.

I used to buy mine for $1.69