Wasp III Small Unmanned Aircraft System | |
---|---|
Role | Remote controlled UAV |
Manufacturer | AeroVironment Inc. |
Introduction | 2007 |
Primary user | United States Air Force |
Unit cost |
$49,000
|
The Wasp III Small Unmanned Aircraft System is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed for United States Air Force special operations to provide a small, light-weight vehicle to provide beyond-line-of-sight situational awareness. The aircraft is equipped with two on-board cameras to provide real-time intelligence to its operators. It is also equipped with GPS and an Inertial Navigation System enabling it to operate autonomously from takeoff to recovery. It was designed by AeroVironment Inc. and was first added to the Air Force inventory in 2007.[1] There are two Wasp variants: the traditional version that lands on land ("Terra Wasp") and a version that lands into the sea or fresh water ("Aqua Wasp"). The Air Force accepted the Wasp AE in late May 2012,[2] and the U.S. Marine Corps ordered the Wasp AE in January 2013.[3]
Operators[]
Specifications[]
General characteristics
- Crew: none
- Length: 1.25 ft (38 cm)
- Wingspan: 2.375 ft (72.3 cm)
- Height: ()
- Empty weight: 0.95 lb (430 g (Land version))
- Loaded weight: 14.4 lbs (6.53 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Electric motor, rechargeable lithium ion batteries, ()
Performance
- Maximum speed: 40mph 65 km/h
- Cruise speed: 40 - 65 km/h
- Range: 5 km ()
Armament
High resolution, day/night cameras with digital image stabilization and digital pan/tilt/zoom
See also[]
- List of unmanned aerial vehicles
- List of active United States military aircraft
- Unmanned aerial vehicle
- Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle
References[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to AeroVironment. |
- ↑ US Air Force Wasp III Fact Sheet
- ↑ Air Force accepts Wasp AE - Suasnews
- ↑ AeroVironment Awarded $12 million Wasp AE Contract - SUASNews.com, January 23, 2013
- Parts of this article are taken from the Wasp III Fact Sheet
The original article can be found at AeroVironment Wasp III and the edit history here.