• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

San Diego Air and Space Museum gets special warfare drones from SEALs

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS080126-09
Release Date: 1/26/2008 5:30:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Michelle Kapica, Naval Special Warfare Command Public Affairs

San Diego, Calif. (NNS) -- Two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), previously used by Navy SEALs, were assigned a new mission at the San Diego Air and Space Museum Jan. 16.

After four years of service and many flight hours the RQ-11A and RQ-11B Raven UAVs were donated to the museum by Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC) in Coronado, Calif. to help educate future generations about advances in the Navy's cutting-edge technology.

The UAVs were used throughout the world by SEAL Teams for remote reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence gathering, locating targets, force protection and convoy security.

"The UAVs were employed in support of bomb and battle damage assessment, support of military operations in urban terrain, and other classified missions," said Dean McCoy, the UAV logistics management specialist at NSWC in Coronado, Calif.

Ravens are used extensively throughout the military and have become an invaluable asset to special operations. They fly at 100 to 500 feet, carrying tiny cameras to capture footage of precise targets without putting SEALs in harm's way.

"UAVs do the jobs that are too dangerous, too routine or too boring for manned aircraft to do," said McCoy.

Depending on their size and capability, UAVs can cost from $5,000 to $100,000. The Ravens cost around $30,000 each.

"You can't put a price on human life," he said. "These systems have saved a lot of lives."

Navy SEALs undergo an eight-day training course at San Clemente Island, off the coast of California, to learn how to use UAVs. Unlike the more commonly known UAVs such as the Predator, Global Hawk and the Shadow, Ravens are light and compact. They are hand launched, weigh around four pounds and have a wingspan of just 55 inches, giving them a great tactical advantage. According to McCoy, the main difference between the A and B is that the A has a fixed camera while the B has some limited pan, tilt and zoom capability. The ground control station also has more features, including more ergonomic controllers, similar to computer game controllers. The B also has an infrared illuminator that delivers real-time imagery to ground control and remote viewing stations during day and night operations.

The donated Ravens will now serve a different purpose at San Diego Air and Space Museum, helping to educate future generations about the Navy and the equipment it uses to carry out its missions.

"We're always trying to keep our museum current with the latest state of the art in terms of military and civil aviation," said Tony Beres, the museum's curator. "The future is in unmanned aerial vehicles."

Beres, who has worked at the museum for 10 years, said he believes the Ravens will inspire a new generation of aviation enthusiasts. "New exhibits in the museum are important because they attract new visitors. Our motivation is to get younger people involved in the technology and the science of today's world," he said.

The Navy is currently phasing out the Ravens and replacing them with the All-Environment Craft Vehicle (AECV). A hand-launched UAV that can land on water, is quieter, has an increased flight time and contains more advanced cameras.

"They are a quantum leap forward in capability for the special operations community," said McCoy.

McCoy plans to donate another de-commissioned UAV from NSW to the National Navy Underwater Demolition Team - SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Fla., next month.

The Naval Special Warfare community is a maritime component of U.S. Special Operations Command and the Navy's special operations force. The community is composed of over 6,700 personnel, including 2,300 SEALs, 600 Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC), along with military support personnel, reserve components, and civilian staff. SEALs and SWCC focus on missions involving unconventional warfare, direct action, combating terrorism, special reconnaissance, foreign internal defense, information warfare, security assistance, counter-drug operations, personnel recovery and hydrographic reconnaissance.

For more news from Naval Special Warfare, visit www.news.navy.mil/local/nsw/.