Guard Stryker Brigade to deploy with FCS UAVs

[unhappycamper]

Guard Stryker Brigade to deploy with FCS UAVs
By Matthew Cox - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Nov 25, 2008 21:37:36 EST

The Army’s first National Guard Stryker Brigade will deploy to Iraq with the service’s newest unmanned aerial vehicles.

Army officials from the Future Combat Systems program announced Tuesday that the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team will begin training in December with 15 FCS-developed, gasoline-powered Micro Air Vehicles for their upcoming deployment to Iraq in January.

“This fielding is unique as the 56th Stryker Brigade represents the first National Guard Unit to use FCS developed unmanned air vehicles,” Maj. Gregg Dellert, FCS assistant product manager for Micro Air Vehicle and Class I Block Zero unmanned air vehicles, said in a press statement.

The Army fielded 30 of the vertical-launched gMAVs to the 2nd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division in Iraq this summer in response to a joint operational needs statement from the combat zone calling for more intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets.

“The 2-25th Stryker Brigade has been using the gMAV for some time now, but we expect to gain new insight from the fresh user perspective the Guard unit will bring,” Dellert said.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/army_uav_112508w/%2e



uhc comment: Meet the gMAV:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro_air_vehicle



Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California - A Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) flies over a simulated combat area during an operational test flight. The MAV is in the operational test phase with military Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams to evaluate its short-range scouting capabilities.

Micro air vehicle

Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California - A Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) flies over a simulated combat area during an operational test flight. The MAV is in the operational test phase with military Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams to evaluate its short-range scouting capabilities.
A simulation screenshot of a 'bumblebee-sized' MAV proposed by the US Air Force in 2008.

The term micro air vehicle (MAV) or micro aerial vehicle refers to a new type of remotely controlled aircraft (UAV) that is significantly smaller than similar craft obtainable using state of the art technology as it was in as of 2007. The target dimension for MAVs today is approximately 15 centimetres (six inches) and development of insect-size aircraft is reportedly expected in the near future. Potential military use is one of the driving factors, although MAVs are also being used commercially and in scientific, police and mapping applications. Another promising area is remote observation of hazardous environments which are inaccessible to ground vehicles. Because these aircraft are often in the same size range as radio-controlled models, they are increasingly within the reach of amateurs, who are making their own MAVs for aerial robotics contests and aerial photography.

Three types of MAVs are under investigation. Airplane-like fixed wing models, bird- or insect- like ornithopter (flapping wing) models, and helicopter-like rotary wing models. Each type has different advantages and disadvantages, different scenarios may call for different types of MAV. Fixed-wing MAVs can currently achieve higher efficiency and longer flight times, so are well suited to tasks that require extended loitering times, but are generally unable to enter buildings, as they cannot hover or make the tight turns required. Rotary-wings allow hovering and movement in any direction, at the cost of shorter flight time. Flapping wings offer the most potential for miniaturization and maneuvrability, but are currently far inferior to fixed and rotary wing MAVs.