Honeywell’s Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) is being deployed in Iraq specifically to identify improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from the sky. The deployment marks the first time a ducted-fan unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) will be used during combat missions. Each MAV is small enough to carry in a backpack and is equipped with video cameras that relay information back to foot soldiers using a portable handheld terminal. The circular vehicle, just 16 pounds and 13 inches in diameter, operates like a small remote-controlled helicopter and can easily fly down to inspect hazardous areas for threats without exposing soldiers to enemy fire.

Honeywell’s MAV also has the unique ability to take off and land vertically from complex desert and urban terrains without using runways or helipads. “IED attacks are among the most dangerous challenges faced by our troops in Iraq,â€?……..

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h/t Taxing Tennessee

Here’s a video link for the MAV.

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