AeroVironment, Inc. a global leader in intelligent, multi-domain robotic systems, announced it received a $8,541,428 firm-fixed-price U.S. Department of Defense Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract award on Jan. 27, 2022 to provide Puma™ 3 AE small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), initial spares packages, training and support to an allied nation. Delivery is anticipated by November 2022. AeroVironment’s 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 50 allied governments.
AeroVironment’s Puma 3 AE delivers mission critical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) in all environments. Puma 3 AE has a wingspan of 9.2 feet (2.8 meters), weighs 15 pounds (6.8 Long-Range Tracking Antenna (LRTA). Multi-mission capable, operators can swap between Mantis™ i45 and the enhanced night variant Mantis i45 N for day, night and low-light operations. Puma 3 AE is launchable by hand, bungee, rail, or vehicle, and recoverable by deep-stall landing, providing class-leading capabilities in challenging environments around the world.
“Combat-proven, versatile and reliable, Puma 3 AE provides persistent situational awareness, critical force protection and force multiplication capabilities to small tactical units conducting operations in salt water, fresh water or on land,” said Trace Stevenson, AeroVironment vice president and product line general manager for small UAS.
AeroVironment’s portfolio of intelligent, multi-domain robotic systems includes small footprint, runway-independent UAS. These solutions offer increased, multi-mission capabilities with the option of selecting the appropriate aircraft based on the type of mission to be performed. These capabilities have the potential to provide significant force protection and force multiplication benefits to small tactical units and security personnel, as well as greater safety, scalability and cost savings to commercial operators. With the addition of the Crysalis™ next-generation ground control solution, command and control of compatible UAS and their payloads is streamlined through an intuitive user experience, and battlefield communication and collaboration are improved by enabling users to easily share real-time information and coordinate mission-critical decisions.
