Ravens fly over Camp Atterbury

Soldiers from the Ohio National Guard’s 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team were at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center this month for a certification course on the Raven, a small unmanned aerial vehicle.

The Raven is a small, rucksack-portable drone that can be deployed by a two-Soldier team. It allows units to conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance of danger zones without committing Soldiers. It has been in service with the Army for the past five years, with approximately 15,000 in use, said Aaron Aamold, a Raven system trainer.

“It is a hand-launched system, so it doesn’t need a catapult for take off or a net for recovery. You can launch it from any relatively open area,” said Aamold. “A good team can have the system ready in seven and a half minutes.”

The system uses a digital data link to ensure secure communication between the Ground Control Station and the drone. Without the GCS, the transmissions cannot be decrypted. There are no analog transmissions, which can be intercepted.

Soldiers pilot the drone using a controller similar to a hand-held video game system.

“The plane has a flying time of 60 to 90 minutes and can reach altitudes of 10,000 feet,” said Aamold. “It has a cruising speed of 26 knots and will not let you do anything to crash due to stalling the engine.”

The plane is designed to break apart during landing; much like a racecar sheds its structure during a crash.

“My first thought when I started to put it together was not to break it,” said Spc. Tariq Simms, of Cleveland, with A Company, 237th Brigade Support Battalion. “It looks fragile, but it’s not.”

The Raven is used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance purposes, said Ammold.

“Soldiers in the field can utilize the Raven as needed to gather intelligence without having to call for support,” he said.

An important aspect of using the drone is communication between the drone operator and the GCS operator, said Simms.

“You have to rely on each other during the preplanning and to pay attention to any warnings,” said Simms. “You have to work together to get the intelligence.”

The drone can carry either a color or an infrared camera. Both cameras have four levels of zoom and typically operate between 150 and 300 feet above ground level, said Simms.

“The best part of the training was following vehicles. For training we’re flying at 600 feet and following vehicles that have no idea they are being trailed,” he said.

The ten-day training certifies the Soldiers as Raven operators. Once certified, the Soldiers will continue training by conducting intelligence-gathering operations with the drones.

“Atterbury is good place for this training,” said Aamold, “There are a number of mock villages in some inaccessible areas. We’re having them locate these buildings with drones.”

The 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team is scheduled for a deployment to Afghanistan next year, where they are expecting to rely on the Raven.