Posted 5/4/2006
The following are photos of the Dragon Eye UAV system at work in Fallujah.
Photos by LTC Norm Root
The U.S. Marine Corps is returning to Iraq with as many
Dragon Eye mini-UAVs as they can get their hands on. The five pound aircraft is
launched with a large rubber band and transmits pictures back to a laptop
computer, which also contains the software
that controls the aircraft. With a 45 inch wingspan, the battery powered Dragon
Eye can stay in the air for about an hour and can fly up to ten kilometers from
the operator. Only one Dragon Eye went to Iraq last year, and it was out of
action after a week when the laptop that controlled it broke. But for that one
week, the Dragon Eye performed well, and continued to do so when the marines
returned to the United States. The Dragon Eye has proved very useful in
training, and the marines are trying to get as many as 180 of the small UAVs for
the units returning to Iraq this year. Eventually, the marines plan to buy 1,026
of the aircraft and 342 ground control units. The Dragon Eye uses many of the
same components as the Air Force Desert Hawk mini-UAV. That means that the
operator doesn't have to "fly" the UAV, just indicate on the laptop screen what
route it should take, and use a mouse click to show it where it should just
circle. Each $100,000 Dragon Eye unit has three aircraft, a ground control
station (radio transmitter/receiver, laptop) and maintenance equipment. The
aircraft is very popular with company commanders, who can quickly send a Dragon
Eye up to check out an area before they enter it, and keep an eye on surrounding
areas during operations.
More Photos
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