Changes: MAV

Revision as of 02:53, 3 September 2012

MAV Iraq — An illustration of a MAV deployed by US forces in Iraq.

The RQ-16A T-Hawk is a man-portable micro air vehicle (MAV) that has been in use with the United States Navy since 2008 and is produced by Honeywell International, Inc. It was proposed to be used by the United States Army and would have entered service in 2011, but the program it was in was cancelled in 2010. The craft comes with placement for both a downward and forward looking day or IR camera.

The RQ-16 weighs in at 20 lbs (8.4 kg), has a flight ceiling of 10,500 ft (3,200 m) and can operate out to 6 nautical miles (11 km). The craft can run for about 40 minutes on its gasoline powered engine and has a maximum speed of 80 mph (130 km/h). It was used by Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) groups in the US Armed Forces in Iraq to locate roadside IEDs ahead of convoys without putting anyone at risk due to its unmanned control. The US Army program that the MAV would have been employed in would have made the craft available at the infantry brigade level as an autonomous scouting vehicle.

Battlefield 3

"A remotely operated Micro Air Vehicle equipped with a suite of Motion Sensors and a camera with IRNV capabilities for aerial reconnaissance."

— Battlelog description

Singleplayer

During the campaign mission "Thunder Run", a remote MAV operator patches his video feed to the "Anvil" armored detachment, allowing Corporal Miller to designate an airstrike on a rocket artillery camp. A pair of A-10 Thunderbolt IIs respond and strafe the camp, but only result to little effect on the target, primarily taking care of infantry and anti-air emplacements over the BM-21s.

Multiplayer

In Battlefield 3, the MAV is a gadget issued to the Recon Kit. It is deployable and is used to remotely spot enemies.^[1] Players can earn awards for effective use of the MAV.

Standard thermal imaging can highlight certain equipment. Visibility is limited to a sector below horizontal and above vertical. This prevents the operator from seeing anything directly underneath.

A built-in motion sensor can passively detect moving infantry and vehicles. This function detects enemies in an infinitely tall cylinder around the MAV, capable of detecting enemies through roofs and other map features. Like the T-UGS, the motion sensor function can only detect moving enemies, and it does not provide real-time data on enemy movement, only "pings" of their locations that appear on friendly minimaps. The T-UGS has a faster scan rate and smaller profile. If left unattended, the MAV can continue to provide surveillance, and the operator will gain both Spotting and Motion Sensor Assists. Spring metal feet allow the vehicle to safely return to ground if the vehicle is airborne at the time.

Though not equipped with weapons, the MAV can jam (destroy)—by pressing Fire or Countermeasures—various enemy gadgets. (This is not related to the functionality provided by an air vehicle's ECM Jammer.) The operator can obtain weapon lock from a fair distance away to simplify the process, but can still destroy devices that are not locked with good aim. Enemy MAVs may evade lock if they are very close. Should opposing MAVs be near each other at their flight ceiling, scoring a disable requires an exceedingly difficult glancing hit since they cannot aim directly at each other.

The MAV is capable of roadkills by ramming into an opposing player at high speeds. In the killfeed, it is referred to only by "KILLED" and the victim can't be revived by any friendly medic. The operator of the MAV doesn't show up on the killcam. Since the 1.04 patch, the MAV is also destroyed in the process of getting a roadkill.

MAVs have their own minimap icon. Friendly MAVs appear in blue, while spotted enemy MAVs appear in red.

The MAV can be shot down by enemies, though its small size and decent maneuverability make the task difficult. This is balanced out by the fact that it can be locked on not only by anti-air weapons but also by guided missiles that would ordinarily require laser designation to shoot aerial targets, such as Javelins and guided shells. It can be also be laser designated as with manned vehicles.

If the MAV strays out of bounds for too long, it will be automatically destroyed. The operator can simply exit remote viewing, leaving the MAV where it is, and resume viewing to restart the countdown. The operator cannot use the remote when out of bounds, preventing exploits of the map boundary by the character himself.

In certain small maps like Seine Crossing, the MAV has a low ceiling (lower than the rooftops), limiting its ability to traverse the battlefield. The MAV can't hover in those maps either, requiring players to constantly hold down the ascend button/key to stay at maximum altitude. Unseen map geometry features can also make for some tricky maneuvering.

HUD elements

Like the EOD Bot, the MAV shows various bits of info in its display^[2]^[3]:

Camera bearing
GPS latitude and longitude
Camera elevation/declination
Recording time of day
Range in meters to crosshair target (maximum of 200 m)

Jam equipment

The MAV can jam certain devices, locking on and destroying them and earning the player 20 points:

Other MAVs
EOD Bot
T-UGS
SOFLAM
RADIO BEACON

Claymore mines and C4 can also be destroyed, though they cannot be spotted or locked on like other devices. Anti-tank mines cannot be detonated, but can be seen in infrared and spotted for teammates to see.

When spotting the MAV in game the player's character will refer to it as a mobile artillery vehicle, this is most likely meant to be an easter egg reminiscent of Wheelbarrow spotting in Battlefield 2.

Trivia

Battlefield 3

During the beta, the MAV was able to carry C4 for use in a C4 UAV attack, and carry other soldiers (similar to the drone elevator exploit). The C4 carrying ability was removed in the retail version (as with similar behaviors with the EOD Bot). The C4 packs will simply not stick to the device. The soldier carrying abilities were patched later in the March 1.04 update.
The 1.05 patch made anti-air weaponry more reliable. As such, MAVs can no longer escape heat seekers or guided weapons by staying in motion.
If the MAV stops being controlled by the player, the lock-on may be interrupted.

External Links

Honeywell RQ-16 T-Hawk on Wikipedia

References

↑ - PAX 2011 Recap Part 1 - Battlefielo - Retrieved August 29
↑ - BF3 MAV Beta Gameplay - YouTube - Retrieved October 22
↑ - MAV Montage Gameplay - YouTube - Retrieved 3 January

[1] - PAX 2011 Recap Part 1 - Battlefielo - Retrieved August 29

[2] - BF3 MAV Beta Gameplay - YouTube - Retrieved October 22

[3] - MAV Montage Gameplay - YouTube - Retrieved 3 January

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 Standard [[thermal imaging]] can highlight certain equipment. Visibility is limited to a sector below horizontal and above vertical. This prevents the operator from seeing anything directly underneath.
-A built-in [[motion sensor]] can passively detect moving infantry and vehicles beneath the MAV. This function detects enemies in an infinitely tall cylinder around the MAV, capable of detecting enemies through roofs and other map features. However, the motion sensor function can only detect moving enemies, and it does not provide real-time data on enemy movement, only "pings" of their locations that appear on friendly minimaps. If left unattended, the MAV can continue to provide surveillance, and the operator will gain both Spotting and Motion Sensor Assists.
+A built-in [[motion sensor]] can passively detect moving infantry and vehicles. This function detects enemies in an infinitely tall cylinder around the MAV, capable of detecting enemies through roofs and other map features. Like the [[T-UGS]], the motion sensor function can only detect moving enemies, and it does not provide real-time data on enemy movement, only "pings" of their locations that appear on friendly minimaps. The T-UGS has a faster scan rate and smaller profile. If left unattended, the MAV can continue to provide surveillance, and the operator will gain both Spotting and Motion Sensor Assists. Spring metal feet allow the vehicle to safely return to ground if the vehicle is airborne at the time.
-Though not equipped with weapons, the MAV can jam (destroy)—by pressing {{keypress|Fire}} or {{keypress|Countermeasures}}—various enemy gadgets. (This is not related to the functionality provided by an air vehicle's [[ECM Jammer]].) The operator can obtain [[weapon lock]] when up close to simplify the process, but can still destroy devices that are not locked with good aim.
+Though not equipped with weapons, the MAV can jam (destroy)—by pressing {{keypress|Fire}} or {{keypress|Countermeasures}}—various enemy gadgets. (This is not related to the functionality provided by an air vehicle's [[ECM Jammer]].) The operator can obtain [[weapon lock]] from a fair distance away to simplify the process, but can still destroy devices that are not locked with good aim. Enemy MAVs may evade lock if they are very close. Should opposing MAVs be near each other at their flight ceiling, scoring a disable requires an exceedingly difficult glancing hit since they cannot aim directly at each other.
 The MAV is capable of [[roadkill]]s by ramming into an opposing player at high speeds. In the killfeed, it is referred to only by "KILLED" and the victim can't be revived by any friendly medic. The operator of the MAV doesn't show up on the killcam. Since the 1.04 patch, the MAV is also destroyed in the process of getting a roadkill.
@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 MAVs have their own [[minimap]] icon. Friendly MAVs appear in blue, while spotted enemy MAVs appear in red.
-The MAV can be shot down by enemies, though its small size and decent maneuverability make the task difficult. This is balanced out by the fact that it can be [[weapon lock|locked on]] not only by anti-air weapons but also by guided missiles that would ordinarily require [[laser designation]] to shoot aerial targets, such as [[Javelin]]s and [[guided shells]]. Nonetheless its small size makes it a difficult target for such less agile missiles, often requiring more then one missile for a hit (the missiles cannot turn tightly enough to hit the MAV, so they end up doing a few harmless loops around the MAV before exploding and doing no damage to the MAV). It can be also be laser designated, but this does not affect accuracy. A better strategy for shooting down an MAV would be to use a designated anti-air launcher, which explodes when near its target (not going for a direct hit as the Javelin/guided shells do), thus destroying the MAV.
+The MAV can be shot down by enemies, though its small size and decent maneuverability make the task difficult. This is balanced out by the fact that it can be [[weapon lock|locked on]] not only by anti-air weapons but also by guided missiles that would ordinarily require [[laser designation]] to shoot aerial targets, such as [[Javelin]]s and [[guided shells]]. It can be also be laser designated as with manned vehicles.
-If the MAV stops being controlled by the player, the lock-on is interrupted. If the MAV strays [[out of bounds]] for too long, it will be automatically destroyed. MAVs can jam each other, though it takes good aim as just pointing at them won't initiate a lock-on. Spring metal feet allow the vehicle to safely return to ground if the vehicle is airborne at the time.
+If the MAV strays [[out of bounds]] for too long, it will be automatically destroyed. The operator can simply exit remote viewing, leaving the MAV where it is, and resume viewing to restart the countdown. The operator cannot use the remote when out of bounds, preventing exploits of the map boundary by the character himself.
 In certain small maps like [[Seine Crossing]], the MAV has a low ceiling (lower than the rooftops), limiting its ability to traverse the battlefield. The MAV can't hover in those maps either, requiring players to constantly hold down the ascend button/key to stay at maximum altitude. Unseen map geometry features can also make for some tricky maneuvering.
-During the beta for ''Battlefield 3'', the MAV was able to carry [[C4]] for use in a [[Car Bombing#Similar tactics|C4 UAV attack]], and carry other soldiers (similar to the [[drone elevator]] exploit). The C4 carrying ability was removed in the retail version (as with similar behaviors with the EOD Bot). The C4 packs will simply not stick to the device. The soldier carrying abilities were patched later in the March 1.04 update.
 ====HUD elements====
 Like the EOD Bot, the MAV shows various bits of info in its display<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeT9tVVdHKc - BF3 MAV Beta Gameplay - YouTube] - Retrieved October 22</ref><ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9hszGolMKs - MAV Montage Gameplay - YouTube] - Retrieved 3 January</ref>:
@@ Line 64: / Line 63: @@
 When spotting the MAV in game the player's character will refer to it as a mobile artillery vehicle, this is most likely meant to be an easter egg reminiscent of [[Wheelbarrow]] spotting in ''[[Battlefield 2]]''.
 {{Weapons/BF3}}
+==Trivia==
+<tabber>
+Battlefield 3=
+*During the beta, the MAV was able to carry [[C4]] for use in a [[Car Bombing#Similar tactics|C4 UAV attack]], and carry other soldiers (similar to the [[drone elevator]] exploit). The C4 carrying ability was removed in the retail version (as with similar behaviors with the EOD Bot). The C4 packs will simply not stick to the device. The soldier carrying abilities were patched later in the March 1.04 update.
+*The 1.05 patch made anti-air weaponry more reliable. As such, MAVs can no longer escape heat seekers or guided weapons by staying in motion.
+*If the MAV stops being controlled by the player, the lock-on may be interrupted.
+</tabber>
 ==External Links==