Raytheon Silver Fox

Small Unmanned Aircraft System (SUAS) Drone

United States | 2010

"The Raytheon Silver Fox has been used actively in American operations centered on Afghanistan and the Philippines."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/23/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Image from Raytheon marketing materials.

Firepower

Performance

Survivability

Versatility

Impact

The Raytheon "Silver Fox" Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) has been developed as a lower-cost, portable drone solution serving as an alternative to the more complex - and expensive - medium-/large-sized UAVs currently available. The product was originally developed by the Advanced Ceramics Research (ACR) concern which was absorbed in 2009 by defense powerhouse BAe Systems for $14.7 million USD. The Unmanned Aircraft Programs division of BAe Systems was then purchased by Sensintel in mid-2013 and, in turn, the company was claimed by Raytheon in January of 2015 - resulting in the Silver Fox product now falling under the Raytheon brand label.

Its portability is such that it can be transported in a standard civilian or military truck (including the HUMVEE high-mobility vehicle) and launched within fifteen minutes by way of a launch rail system. Its operation requires just two personnel for optimal performance. Overall weight of the unit reaches 30 pounds. Its flight path can be pre-programmed by the launch team (via all-modern, user-friendly touchscreen) or operated manually in real-time. The platform's optics set can be stabilized through a traditional pivoting gimbal arrangement or fixed and integral networking allows multiple air vehicles in the series to communicate their results to a single on-the-ground source.

The system's flexibility allows it to be launched and operated from land or sea bases including warships. Data collection is in real-time, offering ground commanders excellent reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities without committing more costly aircraft to the same task.

The configuration of Silver Fox is largely conventional, relying on a shoulder-mounted, straight wing mainplane, rounded fuselage, and traditional single-finned tail unit. The prop is fitted to the nose in the usual way while the optics fit / sensor ball is mounted towards the rear of the fuselage (ventrally). Unlike other small UASs - which are traditionally electrically-driven - the Silver Fox is gasoline-powered. Performance specs include a maximum speed of nearly 60 miles per hour.

Beyond its obvious military value, the Silver Fox is also marketed to various civilian industries including the oil/gas industry, science divisions, disaster relief/assessment agencies, law enforcement agencies, research agencies and so on.

The series has been actively used by elements of the United States Air Force (USAF) in the Afghanistan theater of war, primarily tested in the searching-and-tracking of insurgent ground forces attempting to set up roadside bombs, since mid-2010. The service has utilized a slightly modified version of Silver Fox known as "Silver Fang" with a key change being the introduction of a radio frequency sensor. The Silver Fox has also been deployed (militarily) by the United States in the Philippines to support local government forces in fighting an active Islamic insurgency there.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Raytheon Silver Fox Small Unmanned Aircraft System (SUAS) Drone.

1 x Gasoline engine driving a two-bladed propeller unit at the nose.
Propulsion

59 mph
95 kph | 51 kts
Max Speed

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Raytheon Silver Fox Small Unmanned Aircraft System (SUAS) Drone.

2
(MANNED)
Crew

24 lb
(11 kg)
Empty Weight

29 lb
(13 kg)
MTOW

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Raytheon Silver Fox Small Unmanned Aircraft System (SUAS) Drone .

None. Mission equipment centered on optics fit and sensors for real-time data collection.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Raytheon Silver Fox family line.

Silver Fox - Base Series Name

Silver Fang - USAF model

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Raytheon Silver Fox. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 50 Units
Contractor(s): Advanced Ceramics Research (ACR) / BAe Systems / Sensintel / Raytheon - USA

[ Colombia; United States ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 100mph

Lo: 50mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (59mph).

Graph Average of 75 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Production Comparison

50

36183

44000

Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

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Aviation Timeline

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WWI

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Image from Raytheon marketing materials.

Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

RECONNAISSANCE

UNMANNED

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Going Further...
The Raytheon Silver Fox Small Unmanned Aircraft System (SUAS) Drone appears in the following collections:

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