Marines Operating a Honeywell MAV

Micro Air Vehicle (MAV)

Small drones that can be easily carried by troops on patrol and launched to meet an immediate tactical need will thus play a growing role in urban operations. A number of such systems have entered service, or are about to do so. One example is the Darpa-funded MAV Wasp micro air vehicle, a small, quiet, portable and rugged unmanned air platform designed for front-line reconnaissance and surveillance over land or sea.

 The lithium-ion battery-powered Wasp is capable of flying in excess of one hour (it has demonstrated endurances of 107 minutes), with a speed range of 30 to 50 km/h (20 to 40 mph), and provides realtime
imagery from relatively low altitudes. With only a 40.6-cm wingspan, weighing about 340 grams and fitting in a backpack, the Wasp serves as a reconnaissance platform for the company level and below by virtue of its extremely small size and quiet propulsion system. Wasp prototypes are currently under extended evaluation in-theatre by the US Marine Corps and the US Navy.

Another is the Mav seen in the title picture which is a vertical take-off and landing, shrouded drone developed by Honeywell. A number of these have already been deployed but the system is in constant evolution, particularly regarding its powerplant and sensors. A recent interview with a programme official revealed that the Mav is being looked at as a serious solution to detect the presence of buried booby traps. The downwash of its rotor could indeed be put to good use to blow dust off a dirt track to help its sensors to more easily detect the presence of hidden objects.

The Mav currently uses a two-stroke engine, made by 3W, which produces four horsepower, sufficient to lift the 7.7-kg device (including its 450-gram payload). Measuring only 40 33 cm, it fits into a purposemade
rucksack. Honeywell is now looking into the possibility of developing a micro-turbine version.
The vertically flying shrouded drone is becoming increasingly fashionable for urban environments. In France and after having considered Singapore Technology’s Fantail, Sagem has finally reverted to a Bertin design the Hovereye2 to use as a basis for its Odin (envisaged as an added element to the French Army’s Félin suite currently being fielded). Unlike the Mav and the Fantail the Odin is electrically powered. Designed to see what is happening in the next street or building the Odin has a hovering endurance of 36 minutes and an urban datalink range of about one km,although it is capable of dash speeds of 100 km/h.