Requirements range from 3 to 11 people, exclusive of the UAVs derived from target drones which require fixed launchers and dedicated recovery areas. These personnel would not be counted in the crew requirements of the vehicle. In all cases surveyed, the UAV requires both trained launch personnel and trained controllers for operation. 2.7 Ground stations All the UAV systems require at least two vans of equipment. One system comes with seven pieces of rolling stock.
All systems require at least a launch vehicle equipped with a catapult, as well as a control van.
The control van systems range from three person manual control and image receiving stations, to complex computer controlled flight monitoring, intelligence stations, and image processing systems. The minimum ground station requires a launcher, perhaps a towed system, and a control van suitable for loading on a single axle truck. The UAVs are all launched from catapults. A fewhave a wheeled option. An electrical winch pulls the bungees back, the UAV is placed on the launch cradle, the engine is started and revved to maximum power, and an operator releases the catapult.