FALLON, Nev. - The smallest aircraft in the National Guard's aviation fleet, the RQ-11 Raven, displayed huge potential here Friday as one of the National Guard's newest damage assessment and reconnaissance tools during the 2008 Vigilant Guard emergency-preparedness exercise.
As a part of the Vigilant Guard 2008 training scenario, 11 trained Raven operators, including both National Guard soldiers and airmen led by Chief Warrant Officer Bob Bagnato, convoyed out to Naval Air Station Fallon's Range B-16 on Friday to test the unmanned aerial system during a simulated domestic emergency response mission.
The Raven system features a remote-controlled, propeller airplane with the length (43 inches) and wingspan (51 inches) no bigger than a child. It is equipped with an infra-red camera and a day-time color camera and weighs only 4.2 pounds. Nevada received its two "Raven A" systems in late September 2007.
The focus of Friday's test was to transmit video from the ground control station at the Bravo 16 training area in Fallon to the Joint Operations Center in Carson City by wireless radio and video uplinks.
Military officials demonstrated the Raven's abilities Friday with the hope that, in the future, Federal Aviation Administration flight restrictions placed on unmanned aerial vehicles might be relaxed during domestic contingencies.
"We would like to show that the Raven can be used in domestic-emergency situations such as searches for lost people, post-incident damage assessment to critical infrastructure, and up-to-the minute-video of impending flood waters or levee breeches," Bagnato said. "However, we are currently allowed to only operate in restricted airspace based on limits set by the FAA, which is why we train at Fallon NAS in their restricted airspace."
Nevada operates two Raven systems. The cost of a single Raven system, which includes three aircraft and a ground control station, is about $270,000. Other states that fly the Raven include Alaska and New Mexico; national numbers for the entire Raven inventory are not available due to operational security.
According to Bagnato, the system potentially has great value to Nevada.
"During the Vigilant Guard 2008 exercise, the Raven will be used for incident awareness and assessment by the Emergency Operation Center," Bagnato said. "Our Raven team can stream video to the EOC and information from the images would give the incident commander a real-time view of what's going on in a specific area on the ground. That ability would allow the incident commander to determine how to best employ and allocate available resources."
The Nevada National Guard soldiers and airmen who operate the system can set up or break down the system within 10 to 15 minutes. If necessary, the system can be carried by two soldiers or airmen with backpacks. Also, the Raven aircraft can be transferred -- while in flight -- to a neighboring operational Raven unit.
While its use in the national air space is restricted, the Raven system is used everyday in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"The Raven is being employed daily in the war fight," Bagnato said.
Master Sgt. Carl Adams, the Nevada team's senior sergeant, said the FAA is concerned about the flight of unmanned aircraft in commercial airspace due to potential collisions.
Following a natural disaster, it's possible for a responding organization to apply for authorization from the FAA for an unmanned aerial system flight within the national air space.
"We could then use the Ravens to respond to an earthquake, floods or any other natural disaster," Bagnato said.
Adams and the other operators elaborated on how that process could potentially work. The team would enter specific coordinates into the system and then fly to affected areas to investigate fault lines and potential levee breaks and collapsed bridges.
"Back at the EOC, the incident commander would view the video and he'd be able to direct the responding rescue units to where they would be most effective," Adams said.
The aircraft's wartime applications include intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The Raven is considered a company level asset.
"You can measure distance on a picture, draw a line on it and know how far troops are from potential danger or enemy elements," Adams said. "For example, commanders can make decisions about forward movement to call in coordinates for laying mortar fire."
Team members said the Raven is rarely vulnerable in a war zone. There is always the remote possibility the aircraft could be shot out of the sky, but Bagnato noted it is better to lose an unmanned asset than a soldier or airman.