Raven

As with the Kestrel RPV, Raven was built as part of BAE Systems’ wider UAV development and demonstration plan, Raven was developed as the main component of stage four of the privately funded programme. Along with the derivative UAV Corax, Raven incorporated lessons learnt from previous stages. In particular problems with the control of Kestrel led to the development of an advanced digital flight control system designed to allow for the fully autonomous control of the unstable UAV. In addition to full mission autonomy, RCS reduction and a high degree of manoeuvrability are reported to also be key focal points of the aircraft’s design.

Raven is a tailless, flying wing design with sharply swept leading edges and an above fuselage mounted air intake. The aircraft is powered by a single gas turbine engine with an open exhaust area, suggesting that IR signature reduction took a back seat to RCS management. Yaw control is achieved through the use of two inlay flaps on the upper and lower surfaces of each wing (similar to the Northrop Grumman X-47A) while pitch and roll control is provided by a pair of control surfaces mounted along the trailing edge of each wing. The UAV makes extensive use of carbon fibre composites.

The UAV is fully autonomous, capable of conducting an entire flight from take off to landing without any human intervention. Flight control is provided by a digital FCS with duplex redundancy allowing the aircraft to take full advantage of its highly unstable design providing for a very agile aircraft.

After a nine month development programme Raven first flew on December 17 2003 at the Woomera test range in southern Australia. This flight marked the first flight of a fully autonomous British UAV system. A second Raven vehicle joined the test programme and achieved its first flight at the same range in November 2004.

Raven forms the basis of BAE System’s SUAV(E) efforts.

Specifications

Manufacturer – BAE Systems
Target Market (Military/ Civilian etc) – N/A
Type – Demonstrator
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Launch Method(s) – Conventional runway
Recovery Method(s) – Conventional runway

External Links

www.baesystems.com