Man arrested for selling used Raven on eBay

Kids, be careful out there. Full waypoint-capable UAVs are illegal to sell in the US without Export Control documentation and other safeguards. Don't be this guy:

From Yahoo News: "ST. PETERSBURG, Fla (Reuters) – A Philippine man was arrested and charged with illegally selling an unmanned U.S. spy plane known as the Raven, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Tampa said on Monday.

A grand jury indicted Henson Chua, 47, of Manila on March 10 on charges that he sold the Raven to undercover federal agents on Ebay.

He faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted of smuggling and violating the Arms Export Control Act.

Chua was arrested when he came to Los Angeles in February.

The Raven is a four-pound plane equipped with three cameras that U.S. troops use for battlefield surveillance. It can be taken apart and carried by troops and then reassembled for use.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, agents with the Homeland Security Department found out last May that Chua was offering a Raven for sale on Ebay for $13,000.

They exchanged messages with Chua over several months, and he sent the Raven to them in separate packages in exchange for the money, officials said."

(via Gawker)

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3D Robotics

Chris Anderson April 1, 2011 at 10:27am

This thread has now left the original subject of the post and turned to politics, which is not permitted in our site policies. So I'm going to close the comments.
Kyle April 1, 2011 at 9:05am

[Thread Hi-jack]@ Duane: RAmen! We have an election coming up in Canada and I'm stuck with an incumbent whose party knowingly and willfully broke the trust of the people and was found in contempt of parliament (think impeachment) the same party who broke several election laws (among other things) to "win" in the first place; and challengers whom have done the same in the past - I feel that the only responsible thing to do is spoil my ballot to show my contempt for all political parties involved, not that spoiled ballots are ever counted, it's a sad state of affairs...[/Thread Hi-jack]
Darren March 31, 2011 at 11:20am

Ok, I revise my comment... Lost, Stolen, Sold, or Destroyed... ( better? ) or better yet... Documented removal from US mil inventory lists.
Geoffrey L. Barrows March 31, 2011 at 10:36am

There's more than meets the eye with this sale. Most of the press stories, including the one listed with this post, are incorrect. Check out this well-written post on Export Law Blog: http://www.exportlawblog.com/archives/2998

The sale was not of a full Raven system, but for individual parts, and this involved importing the parts into the US, something that itself is entirely legal. What happened was that Chua was told by his prospective customers (US agents in disguise) that they would be re-exporting to Russia, something that is illegal. Read the blog post for the rest of the story.

One way or another, the message is clear- export control is an area not treaded lightly...
Martin March 30, 2011 at 7:54am

What if he didn't sell/ship it back to the states. Then there SOL, unless they want to force there will on the rest of the planet.
Tom in NOVA March 29, 2011 at 6:41pm

This Raven was probably found there (easily to figure out how it got there by following the news) and was sold to him. He probably just wanted to re-sell it for more.
Moderator

Mark Harrison March 29, 2011 at 5:03pm

What are the main features of the Raven that (a) sets it apart from a typical DIY drone, and (b) makes it worth $35K? Of course a lot is I'm sure the military pricing scheme, but I'm sure it's very nicely featured... for example, several articles mention the kevlar body, and I'm sure it's got the best motors, electronics, etc. How about the ground station? It seems to be nicely encased and portable, and optimized for two person operation. Anybody ever seen one?
Moderator

Sgt Ric March 29, 2011 at 12:47pm

"Federal Aviation Administration" the American agency responsible for the airspace anywhere above the height of your desk. (in the US that is)
Moderator

Sgt Ric March 29, 2011 at 12:24pm

It was Duane who mentioned the FAA, but they don't worry about export controls in the US... this is a story from the US, isn't it?
Geoffrey L. Barrows March 29, 2011 at 11:29am

I may be wrong, but I think what makes the Raven export controlled is not so much that it is fully waypoint capable, but that it was "specifically designed" for a military purpose, including being hardened for use in real military applications. It is a completely different beast than a foam airplane with an Ardupilot and a Sparkfun GPS unit (not to belittle the latter).

That said, one shouldn't mess with ITAR or other export control rules. One shouldn't even think of messing with these rules.

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