Italy Issues Raven B Certificate

AeroVironment, Monrovia, Calif., said Italy’s General Directorate for Aircraft Weapon Systems has issued a military aircraft type classification certificate for the company’s Raven B unmanned aircraft system (UAS), permitting Italian military personnel to fly the aircraft in national airspace. This is the first such certificate issued in Italy in the Micro UAV category, the company said.

Raven is a 4.2-pound, backpackable, hand-launched sensor platform that provides day and night, real-time video imagery for “over the hill” and “around the corner” reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition in support of tactical units.

According to AeroVironment, “Italian MoD sources indicated that this decision highlights two key advantages to the Raven B System: its high reliability, coupled with its semiautonomous behavior, which permits flights over highly populated areas without limitation; as well as its light weight and simple operation. As a result, the Raven B System will greatly increase the protection of Italian land forces in operations requiring reconnaissance at short range.”