AeroVironment RQ - 11 Raven The AeroVironment RQ - 11 Raven is a small hand - launched remote - controlled unmanned aerial vehicle ( or SUAV ) developed for the U . S . military , but now adopted by the military forces of many other countries . The RQ - 11 Raven was originally introduced as the FQM - 151 in 1999 , but in 2002 developed into its current form , resembling an enlarged FAI class F1C free flight model aircraft in general appearance . The craft is launched by hand and powered by a pusher configuration electric motor . The plane can fly up to at altitudes of appx above ground level ( AGL ) , and over above mean sea level ( MSL ) , at flying speeds of 28 - 60 mph ( 45 – 97 km / h ) . Design and development . The Raven RQ - 11B UAV system is manufactured by AeroVironment . It was the winner of the US Army ' s SUAV program in 2005 , and went into Full - Rate Production ( FRP ) in 2006 . Shortly afterwards , it was also adopted by the US Marines , and the US Air Force for their ongoing FPASS Program . It has also been adopted by the military forces of many other countries ( see below ) . More than 19 , 000 Raven airframes have been delivered to customers worldwide to date . A new Digital Data Link - enabled version of Raven now in production for US Forces and allies has improved endurance , among many other improvements . The Raven can be either remotely controlled from the ground station or fly completely autonomous missions using GPS waypoint navigation . The UAV can be ordered to immediately return to its launch point simply by pressing a single command button . Standard mission payloads include CCD color video cameras and an infrared night vision camera . The RQ - 11B Raven UAV weighs about 1 . 9 kg ( 4 . 2 lb ) , has a flight endurance of 60 – 90 minutes and an effective operational radius of approximately 10 km ( 6 . 2 miles ) . The RQ - 11B Raven UAV is launched by hand , thrown into the air like a free flight model airplane . The Raven lands itself by auto - piloting to a pre - defined landing point and then performing a 45° slope ( 1 foot down for every 1 foot forward ) controlled " Autoland " descent . The UAV can provide day or night aerial intelligence , surveillance , target acquisition , and reconnaissance . Operators . The Raven is used by the United States Army , Air Force , Marine Corps , and Special Operations Command . Additionally , foreign customers include Australia , Estonia , Italy , Denmark , Spain and Czech Republic . As of early 2012 , over 19 , 000 airframes have already been shipped , making it the most widely adopted UAV system in the world today . The British forces in Iraq are using U . S . Raven equipment and personnel on loan . The Royal Danish Army acquired 12 Raven systems in September 2007 - three systems will be delivered to the Huntsmen Corps , while the remainder will be deployed with soldiers from the Artillery Training Center . A 2010 documentary film , Armadillo , shows Danish forces deploying a Raven in operations around FOB Armadillo in the Helmand province of Afghanistan . The Netherlands MoD has acquired 72 operational RQ - 11B systems with a total value of $ 23 . 74 million for use within Army reconnaissance units , its Marine Corps and its Special Forces ( KCT ) . At the turn of the year 2009 to 2010 the systems were deployed above the village Veen , as part of the Intensification of Civil - Military Cooperation . In 2012 and 2013 the Raven was loaned by the Defense department to the police department of Almere to combat burglary . In April 2011 , the U . S . announced that it would be supplying 85 Raven B systems to the Pakistan Army . In June 2011 , the U . S . announced $ 145 . 4 million in proposed aid for anti - terror efforts in north and east Africa , including four Raven systems to be used by forces from Uganda and Burundi as part of the ongoing African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia . Capture by Iran . Iran has claimed it has captured two RQ - 11 , one " in Shahrivar 1390 ( August 21 - September 19 , 2011 ) and the other one in Aban ( October 22 - November 20 , 2012 ) " . It also indicated that " much of the data of these drones has been decoded " , but did not indicate whether the drone has been duplicated , as has been done with the RQ - 170 and the Boeing Insitu ScanEagle .