Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration

(U) The emerging U.S. vision of future land warfare places strong emphasis on technology supporting early entry of light, efficient land forces. This project is developing technologies that enable mobile and survivable systems for efficient command and control, mobility, surveillance, targeting and reconnaissance as well as effective and adaptive weaponry, which are important aspects of an early-entry capability.
The project consists of: the Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Targeting Vehicle (RST-V); Tactical Mobile Robotics (TMR); Metal Storm (MS), Mach 5/50 Technology Development, and the Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration program. These programs are closely coordinated with the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps, and with DARPA�s Small Unit Operations (LNW-02) project.
This project draws to an end in FY 2005. Programs traditionally budgeted in this project will be reflected in a new program element 0603766E, project NET-01, to better reflect today�s emphasis on network centric warfare.

Is anyone familiar with these programs?


Mr. M

More on this...

U) The Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Targeting Vehicle (RST-V) program is designing, developing, testing/demonstrating and transitioning to the Services four hybrid electric drive, lightweight, highly maneuverable advanced technology demonstrator vehicles capable of V-22 internal transport. The vehicle incorporates technological advancements in the areas of integrated survivability techniques and advanced
suspension. The vehicle also hosts integrated precision geolocation, communication and Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Targeting sensor subsystems. The RST-V platform provides a mobile quick deployment and deep insertion capable, multi-sensor, battlespace awareness asset for small unit tactical reconnaissance teams, fire support coordinators and special reconnaissance forces. Hardware and lessons learned from this program directly support the Marine Corps-Navy Extending the Littoral Battlespace (ELB) Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) as well as address joint U.S. Marine Corps � Special Operations Command (USMC-SOCOM) requirements for the Internally Transportable Vehicle/Light Strike Vehicle (ITV/LSV), Tactical Vehicle, Reconnaissance, Surveillance, Targeting and Acquisition (TV-RSTA) program and High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) upgrades. The Marine Corps will develop vehicle concepts and chassis, integrate the DARPA developed components and conduct vehicle performance tests (PE 0603640M) through participation in scheduled Advanced
Warfighting Experiments (AWEs) and ACTDs (e.g., Capable Warrior).

Sounds to me like they have their hands full...


Mr. M

More on the MAV program...

(U) The primary goal of the MAV ACTD program is to further develop and integrate MAV technologies into militarily useful and affordable backpackable systems suitable for dismounted soldier, marine, and special forces missions. It will focus on the development of MAVs to accomplish unique military missions, particularly with regard to flight operations in restricted environments. The objective of the MAV ACTD is to demonstrate a backpackable, affordable, easy-to-operate, and responsive reconnaissance and surveillance system. The system will provide the
small unit with militarily useful, real-time combat information of difficult to observe and/or distant areas or objects. The system will also be employable in a variety of warfighting environments. For example, it will be beneficial in complex topologies (i.e., mountainous terrain with caves), heavily forested areas/dense foliage/triple canopy jungle, confined spaces (often internal to buildings) and high concentrations of civilians
(where it may be critical to determine the neutral or hostile intent of a crowd). The initial MAV technology development program focused on the technologies and components required to enable flight at small scales, including flight control, power and propulsion, navigation and communications. The MAV ACTD program will also leverage other DARPA technology development efforts, including advanced communications and information systems, high performance computer technology, Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS), advanced sensors, advanced electronic packaging technologies, and lightweight, efficient high-density power sources. This program will be funded from PE
0603766E, Project NET-01 in FY 2004 and FY 2005.


(U) Program Plans:
- Demonstrate electric MAV in military operations in urban terrain exercises and conduct experiments with troops in field trials.
- Evaluate lessons learned and design of diesel MAV.
- Conduct further experiments with troops in the field to complete detailed design of hybrid MAV.
- Conduct experimentation of hybrid MAV; evaluate lessons learned; provide optimum MAV for evaluation.
- Conduct experimentation of optimum MAV and complete final military evaluation.

Very interesting program, indeed.


Mr. M

There is a new article on MAVs today. Here is a link to a page or two and a quote from the article. There are animated videos on the web pages but I can figure out how to put them here. Dan Brown talked about these in a book called Digital Fortress (fiction).

THIS is the ground breaking technology the military has that will change the battle field. As groundbreaking as the tank or more in my opinion.

Video: Air Forces Killer Bugbots attack

The U.S. military has been working for a while on tiny, buglike drones — to serve as miniature flying spies, Defense Department robot-makers say. But this video, from the Air Force Research Laboratory, shows that the military is also interested in turning these "Micro Air Vehicles," or MAVs, into biomorphic weapons that can lie in secret for weeks at a time — and then strike an adversary with lethal accuracy

Here is a helicopter like one that I think some law enforcement is using as well troops in Iraq. I think these things are 5-10 years ahead of what we are being shown. I think this video appeared in another thread but can't remember which one.

reply to post by stikkinikki


Here is a link to the the MAV product brochure on the company web site, AAI Corp, a division of Textron (?). The MAV is a joint venture between Honeywell and AAI.

www.aaicorp.com...

With a gas powered engine the thing certainly isn't a stealty spy drone, I imagine the noise like that of a flying leaf blower. But certainly small and fast enough to make it tough to shoot down. And shooting it down only confirms to our guys that there's hostile forces in the area the MAV went down.

Now with a quieter electric motor..... Hmmmm.....

This video says that it's powered by environmental forces such as the sun, electrical lines, etc... I don't think it's gas powered. This is really cool IMO..

video.designworldonline.com...

This is some scary stuff. Quite unnecessary and undeserved for ANY government to utilize. I absolutely don't trust that this technology will be used appropriately nor will it be always used on "bad guys".

I hate to use the cliche, but this definitely rings a 1984 bell in my head.

...In the far distance a helicopter skimmed down between the roofs, hovered for an instant like a bluebottle, and darted away again with a curving flight. It was the police patrol, snooping into people’s windows. The patrols did not matter, however. Only the Thought Police mattered.

Here's another video on MAVs: