Wasp III MAV (Micro UAV)

       Developed under the DARPA Micro-UAV program,  The AFSOC selected the Wasp III to be it’s Battlefield Air Targeting Micro Air Vehicle in 2006.  The  Wasp III Micro unmanned aircraft was created by Aerovironment is a quite little, electrically powered unmanned aerial vehicle. The Wasp III comes equipped with forward and side (color video) cameras in its arsenal, as well as a modular forward or side looking electo-optical infrared payload. Weighing in at just 1 pound with a 2.375 ft (72 cm) wingspan. It’s high tech payload allows for many cameras all  performing different tasks at once. To keep consistent coverage of a target, the Wasp automatically circles around it, keeping the target in the side camera’s line of sight. The front camera allows for constant  field orientation with a broad view of whats in front of it, at the same time the side view camera, which has a higher power magnification is used,most often,  for target surveillance.            

wasp III
Wasp III photo courtesy of: af.mil
            In 2007 the US Air Force received of the first version of the BATMAV. AV is producing the aircraft for under $45 million,  with five year contract to supply 30 systems to the US Air Force. With a water landing craft under development the US Marine Corps ordered the Wasp III for its ‘Tier I’ micro UAV requirement, In November 2007. The smaller Wasp III will be deployed at the platoon level unlike the dragon eye and raven made by AeroVironment that the corps have been using at the battalion  level. The USMC order totals about $19.3 million. With a mission endurance of 45 minutes, at a range of 5 km, the wasp lands horizontally over flat surface at its mission termination point. To keep using the aircraft simple, the wasp III uses a ground control system common to the Raven B and Puma mini UAVs. Packed in a small suitcase, with the convenience of rapid assembly the Wasp III can be ready within a few minutes and launched by hand toss.

One single comment

  1. Anonymous says:

    that’s pretty sweet. do want.

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