AeroVironment, Inc., a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), announced it received a $2,424,595 firm-fixed-price contract on March 3, 2020 to provide Raven® small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and training to an allied nation. Delivery is anticipated by August 2020.
“With its rugged design, small footprint and high resolution sensor capabilities, the combat-proven Raven offers allied forces the actionable intelligence they need at a moment’s notice in the most extreme environments,” said Rick Pedigo, vice president of sales and business development for AeroVironment.
AeroVironment’s Raven system is designed for rapid deployment and high mobility for operations requiring low-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. With a wingspan of 4.5 feet and weighing just 4.2 pounds (1.9 kilograms), the hand-launched Raven provides situational awareness, day or night, with an operational range of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers). The Raven’s Mantis i23 EO/IR gimbaled payload delivers real-time video or infrared imagery to ground control and remote viewing stations.
AeroVironment’s family of small UAS comprises the majority of all unmanned aircraft in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) inventory and its rapidly growing international customer base numbers more than 45 allied governments.
The RQ-20A/B Pumaâ„¢, Pumaâ„¢ LE, RQ-11B Raven®, RQ-12A Wasp®, together with the VAPOR® Helicopter comprise AeroVironment’s family of tactical unmanned aircraft systems. This family of systems provides increased capability to the warfighter that gives ground commanders the option of selecting the appropriate aircraft based on the type of mission to be performed. This increased capability has the potential to provide significant force protection and force multiplication benefits to small tactical units and security personnel. AeroVironment provides logistics services worldwide to ensure a consistently high level of operational readiness. AeroVironment has delivered thousands of new and replacement tactical unmanned air vehicles to customers within the United States and to more than 45 allied governments.
