Raytheon Silver Fox

Small Unmanned Aircraft System (SUAS) Drone [ 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.

Image from Raytheon marketing materials.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]

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.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

Service Year

2010

Origin

United States

Status

ACTIVE
In Limited Service.

Crew

2

Production

50
UNITS

Advanced Ceramics Research (ACR) / BAe Systems / Sensintel / Raytheon - USA

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Colombia; United States

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

✓ Unmanned Capability
Aircraft inherently designed (or later developed) with an unmanned capability to cover a variety of over-battlefield roles.

Empty Wgt

24 lb
(11 kg)

MTOW

29 lb
(13 kg)

Wgt Diff

+4 lb
(+2 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Raytheon Silver Fox production variant)

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

Max Speed

59 mph
(95 kph | 51 kts)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Raytheon Silver Fox production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

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

Supported Types

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Silver Fox - Base Series Name

Silver Fang - USAF model

General Assessment

Firepower

Performance

Survivability

Versatility

Impact

Values are derrived from a variety of categories related to the design, overall function, and historical influence of this aircraft in aviation history.

Overall Rating

The overall rating takes into account over 60 individual factors related to this aircraft entry.

22

Rating is out of a possible 100 points.

Relative Maximum Speed

Hi: 100mph

Lo: 50mph

This entry's maximum listed speed (59mph).

Graph average of 75 miles-per-hour.

Aviation Era Span

Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.

Unit Production (50)

50

36183

44000

Compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian).

>>

Military lapel ribbon for Operation Allied Force

Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Britain

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Midway

Military lapel ribbon for the Berlin Airlift

Military lapel ribbon for the Cuban Missile Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the French-Indochina War

Military lapel ribbon for the Golden Age of Flight

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars

Military lapel ribbon for the Iran-Iraq War

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1982 Lebanon War

Military lapel ribbon for the Malayan Emergency

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the attack on Pearl Harbor

Military lapel ribbon for the Six Day War

Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War

Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for the Suez Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for Warsaw Pact of the Cold War-era

Military lapel ribbon for the WASP (WW2)

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War

Military lapel ribbon for experimental x-plane aircraft

Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.

Images Gallery

1 / 1

Image from Raytheon marketing materials.

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.

©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)