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Tactical reconnaissance · Reusable · reconnaissance

RQ-11 Raven

Also known as: RQ-11B, Raven B

Raven is an AeroVironment hand-launched reconnaissance aircraft. USAF’s dated RQ-11B sheet lists weight with a gimbaled payload. The Czech ministry’s lighter configuration is recorded separately. The aircraft can follow a preplanned route or be controlled manually.[1][2]

Design origin
United States[1]
Research edition
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Photograph: RQ-11 Raven.
RQ-11 Raven.Reise Reise · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons · Resized
Diagram and size references

Sourced dimensions are listed; no scaled drawing is provided for this configuration.

Schematic top view of the general configuration. Not to scale and not an exact depiction of the model.

Public-source profile. Performance claims are attributed; type links do not verify an incident identification.

The numbers, with their sources

Intervals preserve the published bounds; they are not statistical confidence intervals. A blank lower or upper bound stays open. Values belong to the named configuration, not every aircraft.

Body length

0.914 m[1]RQ-11B · USAF March 2017; with gimbaled payload · 2017
Official report; not an independent test

Wingspan

1.37 m[1]RQ-11B · USAF March 2017; with gimbaled payload · 2017
Official report; not an independent test

Take-off mass

2.18 kg[1]RQ-11B · USAF March 2017; with gimbaled payload · 2017
Official report; not an independent test
1.9 kg[2]RQ-11B · Czech MoD configuration · Publication year unknown · consulted 2026-11-08
Official report; not an independent test

Reported speed

41.8 km/h[1]RQ-11B · USAF March 2017; with gimbaled payload · 2017
Official report; not an independent test

Published flight range

Not publicly established

Flight duration

60–90 min[1]RQ-11B · USAF March 2017 · 2017
Official report; not an independent test

Payload

Not publicly established

Engine / propulsion

Direct-drive electric motor, according to USAF.[1]RQ-11B · USAF March 2017

Guidance / control link

Manual control or an autonomous preplanned route. USAF lists a 10 km range without defining the metric.[1]RQ-11B · USAF March 2017

First flight / first reported use

USAF lists deployment in 2004. This is not a first-flight date.[1]RQ-11B · USAF March 2017

Manufacturer

AeroVironment[1]RQ-11B · USAF

Operators

US Air Force Security Forces; the Czech Ministry of Defence also documents Raven use.[1][2]RQ-11B · operator descriptions

Service status

Fielded according to the dated USAF fact sheet; present fleet counts are not established.[1]RQ-11B · USAF March 2017

Same-class research profiles · published range, km · open bounds remain open

Direct answers

Dimensions

Wingspan: 1.37 m · RQ-11B · USAF March 2017; with gimbaled payload · Official report; not an independent test. US Air Force

Body length: 0.914 m · RQ-11B · USAF March 2017; with gimbaled payload · Official report; not an independent test. US Air Force

Speed

Reported speed: 41.8 km/h · RQ-11B · USAF March 2017; with gimbaled payload · Official report; not an independent test. US Air Force

Weight

Take-off mass: 2.18 kg · RQ-11B · USAF March 2017; with gimbaled payload · Official report; not an independent test. US Air Force

Take-off mass: 1.9 kg · RQ-11B · Czech MoD configuration · Official report; not an independent test. Czech Ministry of Defence

Designer / manufacturer

Catalogue attribution: AeroVironment. www.af.mil · www.mo.gov.cz

Range

Not publicly established in the reviewed sources.

Payload

Not publicly established in the reviewed sources.

Price / cost

Not publicly established in the reviewed sources.

First operational use

Not publicly established in the reviewed sources.

also known as RQ-11, RQ-11B, Raven B

Public-source profile. Performance claims are attributed; type links do not verify an incident identification.

Press factsheet ↗Source-bound type data ↗
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Frequently asked questions

What are the dimensions of RQ-11 Raven?

Wingspan: 1.37 m · RQ-11B · USAF March 2017; with gimbaled payload · Official report; not an independent test. US Air Force

Body length: 0.914 m · RQ-11B · USAF March 2017; with gimbaled payload · Official report; not an independent test. US Air Force

How fast is RQ-11 Raven?

Reported speed: 41.8 km/h · RQ-11B · USAF March 2017; with gimbaled payload · Official report; not an independent test. US Air Force

How much does RQ-11 Raven weigh?

Take-off mass: 2.18 kg · RQ-11B · USAF March 2017; with gimbaled payload · Official report; not an independent test. US Air Force

Take-off mass: 1.9 kg · RQ-11B · Czech MoD configuration · Official report; not an independent test. Czech Ministry of Defence

Size in everyday terms

One scale. Different machines.

No scaled drawing is provided for this configuration. See the sourced dimensions and their limitations.

RQ-11 Raven · RQ-11B · USAF March 2017; with gimbaled payload · Body length[1] · Wingspan[1]

Human height is an illustrative 1.8 m; bus length an illustrative 12 m. Car length uses the cited MINI specification. Vehicle heights and drone side contours are schematic. Top views preserve published length and span; an absent dimension is never guessed.

One car length here is 3.821 m: MINI Cooper 3 door, March 2020 specification.

In our archive

Not yet named as a model in this archive — sources usually say only “drone” or name the family.

Browse this category · Tactical reconnaissance

Where this type appears

Counts follow model/family links in the archive. A general register link does not identify a model.

Family & configurations

RQ-11 Raven

No sourced family relationship recorded in this edition. Similar roles do not establish a common design.

Form, sound & identification limits

  • USAF’s mass includes the gimbaled payload. It differs from the Czech ministry’s mass, so neither is substituted for the other. “with gimbaled payload”[1]

Shape or sound alone cannot identify a drone. Follow local public-safety alerts; do not approach wreckage.

No licensed, model-attested recording is available in our sound library.

What does it cost?

Published USD figures use different price bases and years. Airframes, export packages and support are not equivalent. These are not current offers or verified production costs.

Unknown in reviewed sources

Countermeasures in public analysis

No type-specific, independently supported summary is included in this edition.

Source notebook

  1. US Air Force · RQ-11B Raven, current as of March 2017

    Publication date not stated · Source consulted: 08 Nov 2026 · Official report; not an independent test

    Consulted via search index; direct page unavailable

  2. Czech Ministry of Defence · RAVEN RQ-11B

    Publication date not stated · Source consulted: 08 Nov 2026 · Official report; not an independent test

    Consulted via search index; direct page unavailable

Cite this profile

DroneLedger. RQ-11 Raven. Research edition 2026-11-08. https://droneincidents.com/drones/rq-11-raven/

Permanent research edition