Meet RAVEN

Rapid Assessment Vehicle Engineer (RAVEN)

Assessment Vehicle Engineer (RAVEN). It is based on the Toolcat™ 5600 utility work machine from Bobcat Company. According to Engineering New-Record, the unique vehicle is air-droppable via parachute. Once deployed, it roves the jobsite, with or without an operator, to acquire GPS plot points every two meters. The rear cargo area contains a mobile soilstesting laboratory hooked up to a database of soil profiles from around the world. The machine also has an articulating arm in front that handles multiple attachments, including an automatic, hydraulically-actuated soil pentrometer, a hammer-like device that measures the loadbearing strength of compacted earth. The RAVEN is part of the equipment being tested that will allow the U.S. military to construct an airfield anywhere in the world in 48 hours.