AeroVironment FQM-151 Pointer

مهدي كياني · Jul 30, 2009

AeroVironment FQM-151 Pointer

The FQM-151 Pointer is a very small hand-launched mini-UAV for real-time video surveillance. It is used by the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps.
Development of the Pointer was begun by AeroVironment Inc. in 1986 as a private venture. Four vehicles were delivered to the U.S. Army in 1988 for test and evaluation, and a further 24 vehicles plus associated ground equipment were ordered for extended evaluation by Army and USMC in 1989. The first of these FQM-151A UAVs was delivered in early 1990.

The FQM-151A is of simple single-boom parasol sailplane configuration. It is powered by a 300 W electric motor, which uses either Li/SO2 primary or Ni/Cd rechargeable batteries. The air vehicle and GCU (Ground Control Unit) are each transported in backpacks weighing about 22 kg (50 lb) each. The Pointer is launched by hand, and lands on its belly after flown into a deep stall after engine shutdown. The FQM-151A can be equipped with either a colour or a night vision camera. The GCU consists of two units, the pilot having a display and control box to fly the vehicle using the video from the camera. The second operator has a hand-held display and VCR unit, and a microphone to record commentary on the observed video picture.

[SIZE=-1]Photo: USMC[/SIZE] FQM-151A

In total, about 50 FQM-151A air vehicles were delivered to the U.S. armed services. Both the Army and Marine Corps used the Pointer in Operation Desert Storm in 1991. The mini-UAV was initially used to check the concealment of the U.S. forces, and later for damage assessment and battlefield surveillance. Since then, the FQM-151A has been upgraded with a GPS-based auto navigation unit to allow autonomous waypoint navigation and loiter functions. These features can significantly reduce the workload on the Pointer operators.

The Pointer system is gradually being replaced by the AeroVironment Puma and RQ-11 Raven UAVs. The former is a significantly upgraded Pointer, while the latter is a new smaller, lighter and more capable UAV system, which uses many Pointer components for easy transition.

Specifications

Note: Data given by several sources show slight variations. Figures given below may therefore be inaccurate!

Data for FQM-151A:

Length1.83 m (6 ft)
Wingspan2.74 m (9 ft)
Weight4.3 kg (9.6 lb)
Speed80 km/h (43 knots)
Ceiling300 m (985 ft)
Mission Radius5 km (2.7 nm)
Enduranceprimary battieres: 1 hour
Rechargeable batteries: 20 min.
PropulsionElectric (samarium cobalt)
motor; 300 W

مهدي كياني · Jul 30, 2009

RQ-11 Raven

The RQ-11 Raven is a lighter, smaller successor to AeroVironment’s FQM-151 Pointer UAV, which was used in Desert Storm (1991) and is still in use with some Special Forces units.
Maj. Chris Brown told the Army News Service that “We had one commander’s team find an IED [DID: a do-it-yourself land mine] on its first mission, and the commander has been sold ever since.”
As a subsequent StrategyPage article has noted:
“What makes this little (4.2 pounds) bird so popular is its low cost ($25,000 each) and performance (can stay in the air for 80 minutes at a time). The Raven is battery powered, and carries a color day vidcam, or a two color infrared night camera. Both cameras broadcast real time video back to the operator, who controls the Raven via a laptop computer. The Raven can go as fast as 90 kilometers an hour, but usually cruises between 40 and 50. It can go as far as 15 kilometers from its controller on the ground, and usually flies a preprogrammed route, using GPS for navigation. Each Raven unit consists of three UAVs and one ground control station. Ravens are launched by turning on the motor, and throwing it into the air. It lands by coming back to ground at a designated GPS location (and bouncing around a bit.) The Raven is made of Kevlar, the same material used in helmets and protective vests. On average, Raven can survive about 200 landings before it breaks something.”
The Raven was supposed to be a company-level UAV, but a shortage of UAVs in-theater means that battalions frequently have custody of them. These mini-uavs typically fly missions to search for IEDs, provide reconnaissance for patrols, and watch the perimeters of military camps camps.
Maj. Brown also told the Army News Service that today’s youth are well-suited to such tools:
“One of the best pilots in the 1st Cav. is a cook, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have … scouts operating the Raven,” he said. “Some of these kids have been raised with Playstation in their hands and are better able to handle watching a screen and controlling the aircraft.”
When one of the best pilots is a cook, the designers have done something very right.
Procurement Success

Raven launching

Army Magazine reports that the Army’s recent fielding of Raven is the result of an advanced concept technology demonstration (ACTD) that was conducted by the U.S. Army, U.S. Special Operations Command and the Natick Lab during 2002. “We accelerated this ACTD by two to three years. We simply accelerated a technology demonstration that was already in the works for about two full years, and then we immediately trained a small cadre of folks in the 10th Mountain Division and put it into Afghanistan. One of the things I point out with great pride as an acquisition officer is that when Gen. Keane said, ‘I don’t want it to take 20 years,’ we delivered the first Raven in-theater 20 weeks after contract award.”
Each of the Raven systems includes three airplanes, a ground control station and a remote video terminal. Delivery of the first five systems was followed by sequential approval for 10 additional systems, followed by 170 more, bringing total Raven procurement to date to 185 systems.
According to sources at Military.com and StrategyPage, a single Raven costs about $25-35,000, and the total system costs about $250,000. The prime contractor is AeroVironment Inc.
UPDATE: (Feb 9/06) – DefenseTech’s “The Amazing, All-Purpose, Styrofoam Drone” describes some of the Raven’s uses around Balad, Iraq. One downside: Raven drones do not like IED jammers. No doubt their upgrades will be more reistant.
Additional Readings & Sources: