RAAVEN

The "Robust Autonomous Airborne Vehicle - Endurant and Nimble" (RAAVEN) aircraft system has been the workhorse of the MUSAS Fleet since 2019. This platform has been proven in various environmental regimes and logged hundreds of flight hours supporting atmospheric science missions.

The RAAVEN’s standard instrumentation includes:

Michael Rhodes with RAAVEN in Barbardos

MUSAS Pilot Michael Rhodes with a RAAVEN during the ATOMIC campaign in Barbados.

  • A multi-hole pressure probe for measuring the angle of attack and sideslip of the relative wind, 

  • An inertial navigation system that provides aircraft position and orientation information

  • Multiple sensors to measure pressure, temperature and humidity

  • Up- and downward-looking IR thermometers to evaluate surface and sky conditions

  • A finewire array that offers high-resolution measurements of fluctuations in airspeed and temperature. 

These sensors offer accurate measurements of three-dimensional winds, temperature, humidity, pressure, turbulent kinetic energy, turbulence dissipation, and turbulent fluxes of heat and momentum. 

In addition, the RAAVEN has been equipped with an optical particle spectrometer to measure aerosol size distribution. 

Detailed evaluation of the accuracy of RAAVEN measurements:

  • de Boer, G., B. Butterworth, J. Elston, A. Houston, E. Pillar-Little, B. Argrow, T. Bell, P. Chilson, C. Choate, B. Greene, A. Islam, R. Martz, M. Rhodes, D. Rico, M. Stachura, F. Lappin, S. Whyte, and M. Wilson: Evaluation and Intercomparison of Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Used for Atmospheric Research, Atmos. Ocean. Tech., 41, 127–145, https://doi.org/10.1175/JTECH-D-23-0067.1.

Detailed information on RAAVEN and its payload can be found in publications associated with recent field campaigns:

TRACER, 2022

  • Lappin, F., G. de Boer, P. Klein, J. Hamilton, M. Spencer, R. Calmer, A. Segales, M. Rhodes, T. Bell, J. Buchli, K. Britt, E. Asher, I. Medina, B. Butterworth, L. Otterstatter, M. Ritsch, B. Puxley, A. Miller, A. Jordan, C. Gomez-Faulk, E. Smith, S. Borenstein, T. Thornberry, B. Argrow, and E. Pillar-Little: Data collected using small uncrewed aircraft system during the TRacking Aerosol Convection Interactions ExpeRiment (TRACER), Earth Sys. Sci. Data, 16, 2525–2541. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-2525-2024 

WiscoDISCO, 2021

  • Cleary, P.A., G. de Boer, J. Hupy, S. Borenstein, J. Hamilton, B. Kies, D. Lawrence, R.B. Pierce, J. Tirado, A. Voon, and T. Wagner, 2022: Observations of the Lower Atmosphere From the 2021 WiscoDISCO Campaign, Earth Sys. Sci. Data, 14, 2129-2145, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2129-2022

MOSAiC, 2020

  • de Boer, G., R. Calmer, G. Jozef, J. Cassano, J. Hamilton, D. Lawrence, S. Borenstein, A. Doddi, C. Cox, J. Schmale, A. Preußer, and B. Argrow, 2022: Observing the Central Arctic Atmosphere and Surface with University of Colorado Uncrewed Aircraft Systems, Nature Sci. Data., 9, 439, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01526-9.

TORUS, 2019

  • Frew, E. W., Argrow, B., Borenstein, S., Swenson, S., Hirst, C. A., Havenga, H., and Houston, A., 2020: Field observation of tornadic supercells by multiple autonomous fixed-wing unmanned aircraft, J. Field Robot., 37, 1077-1093, https://doi.org/10.1002/rob.21947.

Specs

Manufacturer:

RiteWing RC Groups in collaboration with IRISS

Size:

2.3 meter wingspan

Nominal Take-off Weight:

15 lbs (6.8 kg)

Speed Range:

17 m/s (cruise); 20 m/s (dash)

Endurance:

2.5-2.8 hours

Battery Formation:

675 Wh Li-Ion (assembled by RiteWing)

Build Materials:

EPP foam, Coroplast, carbon fiber

Integrated Sensors:

  • Black Swift Technologies (BST) 3D multi-hole probe
  • VectorNav 200/300
  • Temperature Calibrated IMU
  • Pixhawk GPS and Magnetometer
  • Vaisala RSS-421 (RS-41)
  • Fine wire turbulence sensors
  • Up and down IR sensors
  • Logger/Telemetry Unit