Israel making drone the size of a credit card

dawn ^ | 2/22/03

[knak]

TEL AVIV, Feb 22: The state-owned Israel Aircraft Industries are developing a tiny Remote Pilotless Vehicle (RPV) that can carry a camera and send pictures, the national Ha'aretz newspaper reported Thursday.

The RPV weighs only 100 grams and has wings the size of a credit card, the report said.

Test flights of a prototype had shown it could fly on batteries for 20 minutes and the images it relays could be seen on a laptop or palm computer, it was reported.

Among the advantages of a miniature drone were that enemy forces are unable to spot it or pick it up by radar. The device was also small enough to fly into an open window and spy on the number of troops inside a building, it was said.

According to Ha'aretz, the United States has already developed a similar plane which it may use during a possible war in Iraq.

[Cooter]

Since 1986, AeroVironment Corporation (with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) has been developing micro UAVs for use in military surveillance, law enforcement, and civilian rescue efforts. The Black Widow UAV, which has a six-inch wingspan and weighs only two ounces, is AeroVironment's award-winning MAV.

[Smedley]

I hope it flies for 20 mins but would settle for 5 mins. What do you use for a power supply and motor? I'd love to make one.

You'd need a chemical power plant. Battery technology won't cut it (I design and fly lots of electric planes). I also doubt the wingspan claim.

The only way I can envision this working as claimed is to use a very high-speed dart-like vehicle, shot out of a morter, that used its initial velocity to maintain altitude.

[anobjectivist]

I've seen video of that. Too bad it costs hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars. Actually, missing from that picture is the heat sink for the motor. I don't know of a plane that size that flys within the motors specified RPM range.

[RoughDobermann]

Check out 26

[aruanan]

Let's hope Saddam doesn't get this to use with VX. A teeny little plane could fly in enough nerve to kill an army camp full of people.

[JustAnAmerican]

"Amazing how the sci-fi stuff from Star Trek eventually comes around. I think they called them "nanites".

If one was so inclined, one could also say that Sci-Fi is just the futures way of telling us it's history :)

[TXnMA]

I would love to send this tiny drone on patrol over Petra Verkaik's bedroom!!!

This Petra?

[RoughDobermann]

Does anyone else remember a story here a LONG time ago about the govt. putting out a warning to airports about remote-controlled planes...?

[PJ-Comix]

Yup! That Petra.

[Old Professer]

Why does this remind me of the old story about the United States, after machining the smallest drill bit possible sent it off to Germany only to have them drill a hole through it and send it back?

[Old Professer]

I don't think you would do much flying into the wind.

[hunter112]

Can they put a tiny bomb on the drone, too? Call it "Palestinian Express: Don't leave home!"

[ez]

This is apparently a micro UAV being developed by DARPA. Looks fake to me though. What's with the canards?

Where's the flaps?

[Kozak]

Would be cooler if they could strap a teeny-tiny bomb on it, sorta like a Whipper Snapper, just to scare the cr*p out of people...

I'd rather see it carry a tiny laser target designator. Then it could guide a really BIG 2000 lb bomb on the target.

[Kozak]

try again

[aruanan]

Does anyone else remember a story here a LONG time ago about the govt. putting out a warning to airports about remote-controlled planes...?

No, I just remember some stories about Muslims with small airplanes in Israel.

[Young Werther]

Oh contraire. This weapon was actual "used". It seems that the test was to validate that the bats could survive in a hibernation state. Tests were flown out of Tyndall AFB but instead of just carrying the bomb aloft it was inadvertently released!

Yep! Good Ol' American ingenuity blossemed in the form of a hanger at Tyndall catching fire, as speced!!!!!Nope, never used in combat but...heh heh heh!

[Young Werther]

Aviation Week did an article on this several years back. DARPA actually had one that was and ornithopter, (flaps wing like a bird!) The speculation was that this vehcile would be covered with feathers to look like a pigeon. Imagine, a pigeon landing on an embassy window! No big thing! But one heck of a spy device!

DARPA mentioned that the MEMs (micro electrical machines) would power these devices and a BUG might really be a "bug". My link to the DARPA site shows a bumble bee sized device! wakka wakka!

[MississippiMan]

Yeah, looks like a mockup to me.

[knak]

I watched a show on PBS recently about drones and they showed this one we are working on the size of a fly!