AeroVironment has won two orders from the Nato Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) to deliver Raven and Puma3 All Environment (AE) tactical unmanned aircraft system (UAS) and spares.
Delivery of the orders, worth a total of $9.804m, is expected to conclude by August and October of this year.
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In January this year, AeroVironment received the three-year base firm-fixed-price contract from NSPA. It included an additional two-year option for logistics support for Raven, Wasp and Puma tactical UAS.
Deployed by multiple Nato countries, the procurement and sustainment order of the tactical US has a ceiling of $80m.
Designed for rapid deployment and high mobility, the Raven system is suitable for operations requiring low-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
The hand-launched Raven weighs 1.9kg and has a wingspan of 1.4m. It is capable of providing situational awareness with an operational range of 10km.
To assist ground control and remote viewing stations, Raven’s Mantis i23 EO/IR gimbaled payload delivers real-time video or infrared imagery.
Designed for land and maritime operations, AeroVironment’s Puma 3 AE is a man-portable UAS.
The hand-launched UAS weighs 6.8kg, has a wingspan of 2.8m and can continue operations for up to 2.5 hours.
Using a standard antenna, the autonomous vehicle has a range of 20km. It can be extended to up to 60km with AeroVironment’s Long-Range Tracking Antenna (LRTA).
The UAS can land in water or on land. With its Mantis i45 EO/IR sensor suite, the Puma empowers the operator with extended flight time and imaging capability.
AeroVironment sales and business development vice-president Rick Pedigo said: “AeroVironment’s tactical unmanned aircraft systems, such as Raven and Puma, have helped transform the way US and allied forces plan, train, equip and operate.
“Both systems benefit from continuous technology improvements and pack significant capabilities into portable, man-packable platforms that provide operators with rapid and effective force protection.”
