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AeroVironment designs, develops, produces and supports a family of unmanned aircraft
systems (UASs), from micro air vehicles to high-altitude long endurance platforms. The
company’s small UAS products are used to deliver real-time intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance.
Realizing that a smaller, lighter unmanned arial vehicle (UAV) would help maximize its military use and effectiveness, AeroVironment set out to create the first operating micro air vehicle (MAV). Completed in 2001 under a DARPA SBIR, AeroVironment’s Black Widow, weighing just three ounces and measuring six inches across, was able to fly for over 30 minutes with a range of 1.1 miles at altitudes up to 800 feet. The small size responded to the issues of portability and covert operation, which helped to maximize the MAV’s use to the military. The Black Widow carried a color video camera and download link, plus stability augmentation and flight data sensors.
At the time the Black Widow was conceived, the smallest state-of-the-art UAVs were about 12 times larger and 50 times heavier. With the MAV, AeroVironment immediately faced the problem of cramming all the avionics, propulsion, and payload systems required by a military UAV into a parcel that would fit into the palm of the hand.
The development team solved this problem by reducing the packaging sizes of all the components, using multifunctionalcomponents, and removing any excess capability from the system that was not absolutely necessary.
In recognition of this work, DARPA presented AeroVironment with its prestigious Award for Outstanding Performance by a SBIR Contractor in June of 1999. The Black Widow also Wasp air vehicle has been field tested by various military customers, including the U.S. Navy and Marines.
The Black Widow program provided monies for cutting-edge technology research that would not otherwise have been funded and promoted internally at AeroVironment. The resulting technologies allowed AeroVironment to produce other UAVs more quickly, saved money on their development, and ultimately led to large production orders by the U.S. military. The success of the Raven UAV resulted in a significant increase in the number of employees at AeroVironment Inc. In addition, DARPA funding allowed AeroVironment to demonstrate its capability to produce very micro-scale air vehicle systems, which has led to subsequent contracts.
Charles Botsford
AeroVironment Inc.
181 W. Huntington Drive, Suite 202
Monrovia, CA 91016-3456
Phone: (626) 357-9983
Email: botsford@avinc.com
Website: www.avinc.com
