RQ-14 Dragon Eye

__NOTOC__The Dragon Eye Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is a 2.3 kg reconnaissance UAV developed by the Naval Research Laboratory and the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory for use by the U.S. Marine Corps. The Dragon Eye aircraft is used primarily for scouting urban areas, and is especially useful in urban assaults. Its camera, when used with a trained Marine, can be used to spot enemies without alerting them to the UAV's presence. Launched using a store-bought bungee cord, it is very easy to get aloft and becomes useful very quickly. It also uses a break-apart system to increase durability — parts of the plane break apart instead of shattering and can be reattached later or replaced with new parts.

The Dragon Eye has been used in post-invasion Iraq, 2003–2006.

General characteristics

*Length: 0.9 m (3 ft)
*Wingspan: 1.1m (3.75 ft)
*Ceiling: 90 to 150 m (300-500 ft)
*Weight: 2.3 kg (5.1 lb)
*Cruising speed: 65 km/h (40 mph)
*Battery Endurance: 1 hour
*Range: 5 km (3.1 mi)
*Transmission Range: 10 km (6.2 mi)

References

* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/systems/dragon-eye.htm Specs] - from globalsecurity.org.

External links

* [http://www.jfcom.mil/about/experiments/mc02/concepts/drageye.htm Project description] - from U.S. Joint Forces Command.
* [http://www.defense-update.com/products/d/dragoneyes.htm Dragoneye Update]
* [http://www.defense-update.com/features/du-2-04/feature-mav.htm Mini and Micro UAVs]
* [http://www.avinc.com/UAS.asp AeroVironment, Inc.]