Direct proof of use
The RQ-11B Raven was documented in the 2001 War in Afghanistan through U.S. Army reporting from Khost Province in September 2010. Soldiers from Company A, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Leader, operated the Raven at Forward Operating Base Salerno, and the article described the aircraft as a small, hand-launched remotely piloted aircraft for live battlefield intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
The same Army report says the unit had used the Raven several times after arriving in Afghanistan and had located enemy forces. One operator described launching the Raven after a mortar attack at Forward Operating Base Boris and spotting insurgents leaving the area and attempting to hide.
Sources: RPA Provides Soldiers Bird's Eye View Of Battlefield
Dated use in Afghanistan
Afghanistan records show the Raven in more than one tactical context. In April 2010, a NATO Special Operations Component Command-Afghanistan story said Air Force Special Operations Weathermen at a forward operating base in western Afghanistan could use the RQ-11B Raven's electro-optical sensors for real-time reconnaissance of terrain and enemy activity from safe distances.
In February 2012, DVIDS reported RQ-11 Raven training at Camp Leatherneck in Helmand Province for troops whose convoy work exposed them to improvised explosive devices. The article described the Raven's main function there as intelligence gathering with a video camera for surveillance of possible threats during convoys, including roads that troops could not directly observe.
In August 2013, U.S. Army reporting from Logar Province said soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment and 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment flew small unmanned aerial systems, including Raven, around Forward Operating Base Shank to counter indirect-fire threats. The report said Puma and Raven operators routinely searched for enemies preparing attacks on U.S. and Afghan bases, supported ground forces in contact, provided low-altitude deterrent presence, and collected intelligence on compounds of interest.
Sources: Air Force Special Operations Weathermen In Afghanistan, Soldiers Gain Fly Time With The Raven, Cottonbalers Mustangs Team Up With UAS
Role in the conflict
The Raven's documented Afghanistan role was tactical observation rather than strike. The system gave small units a portable, rapidly launched aircraft for seeing beyond patrols, base perimeters, roads, and terrain obstacles. Army and DVIDS reporting tied the Raven to company-level reconnaissance, live video, enemy-location support, convoy route surveillance, indirect-fire threat monitoring, and support to ground forces.
Official Raven descriptions match that use. The U.S. Air Force fact sheet describes the RQ-11B as a man-packable small UAS that provides real-time ISR and target information, and says the Raven had proven itself in combat supporting U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. AeroVironment's current Raven B description likewise frames the aircraft as a hand-launched tactical ISR system for ground units and small teams, with electro-optical/infrared imagery and geolocation data.
Sources: RPA Provides Soldiers Bird's Eye View Of Battlefield, Cottonbalers Mustangs Team Up With UAS, Soldiers Gain Fly Time With The Raven, RQ-11B Raven Fact Sheet, AeroVironment Raven B
