Wasp III

The AeroVironment Wasp III is a miniature Small Unmanned Aircraft System (SUAS) developed to provide beyond-line-of-sight situational awareness. Designed by AeroVironment Inc. as a joint development effort with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the aircraft was selected by the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) for the Battlefield Air Targeting Micro Air Vehicle (BATMAV) program in December 2006. AFSOC began testing the platform in October 2007 and approved full-rate production in January 2008. In November 2007, the United States Marine Corps (USMC) also contracted AeroVironment for $19.3 million to acquire the system for platoon-level deployment.

Design

The Wasp III has an empty weight of 430 g (0.95 lb), a length of 38 cm (16 in), and a wingspan of 72 cm (29 in). It is designed to be disassembled and reassembled to fit inside a backpack. Powered by an electric motor with rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, the aircraft has a top speed of 40–65 km/h (25–40 mph), an endurance of 45 minutes, and an operational range of 5 km (3.1 mi). It operates at altitudes up to 1,000 ft (300 m) AGL, with a service ceiling of 10,000 ft (3,333 m) MSL.

For guidance and control, the Wasp III utilizes GPS and an Inertial Navigation System, enabling manual operation or autonomous flight from takeoff to recovery. Avionics consist of high-resolution day/night cameras with digital image stabilization and digital pan/tilt/zoom. The aircraft carries interchangeable payload modules, including forward- and side-looking infrared and color cameras that transmit real-time streaming video to a hand-held ground controller, which is also compatible with the RQ-11B Raven and RQ-20 Puma.

Operational History

The Wasp III entered the United States Air Force inventory in 2007. Operational users of the Wasp system have included the Australian Army, the Bangladesh Army, the Czech Army, the French Navy, the Spanish Air Force, the Royal Navy, the Swedish Air Force, the Swedish Army, and the Swedish Navy. In January 2023, the USMC retired its RQ-12A Wasp IV systems, replacing them with the Skydio X2D vertical take-off and landing UAV.

Variants

• Terra Wasp: The traditional version of the aircraft designed to land on ground.
• Aqua Wasp: A variant modified to land on sea or fresh water.
• Wasp AE: An improved variant designated RQ-12A that weighs 2.8 lb (1.3 kg), provides 20 percent greater endurance, features a miniature gimbal containing both color and infrared sensors, and is capable of landing on both land and water.