AeroVironment, Inc. announced that the Military Aviation Authority of the Netherlands (MLA-NLD) has issued a Military Type Certificate (MTC) for the company's Raven B NLD MUAS, a move which will allow the Dutch military to operate Raven systems in designated Dutch airspace.

This is the first such certificate issued in the Netherlands in the Micro-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle category.

According to published reports, the Dutch selected the Raven B system following an open competition in 2007. Key elements resulting in its selection were hand-launchability, reliability, ease of use, robustness, and demonstrated in-theater operational performance and logistics support.

"Receiving this MTC validates the Raven system's airworthiness and reliability, but also represents an important step toward the operation of small UAS in our national airspace," said Dick Goedhart, head section type management unmanned aircraft, for the Netherlands Defence Ministry's Defence Materiel Organization or DMO