Initial Value $9.8 Million Could Rise to $80 Million
AeroVironment has received two orders from the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) for RAVEN and PUMA 3 AE tactical UAS and spares, the company announced on 10 June. Delivery is scheduled for August-October this year.
The orders are part of a three-year base contract received from NSPA in January, which includes an option for two additional years of logistics support for RAVEN, WASP and PUMA UAS. The total potential value of the multi-year contract is $80 million, encompassing the procurement and sustainment of AeroVironment tactical UAS in service with the defence forces of several NATO countries.
“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,” commented Rick Pedigo, VP of Sales and Business Development. “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.”
RAVEN is designed for rapid deployment and high mobility for operations requiring low-altitude ISR capability. With a wingspan of 1.4m and weighing just 1.9kg, the hand-launched device provides situational awareness, day or night, with an operational range of 10km. The MANTIS i23 EO/IR gimbaled payload delivers real-time video or infrared imagery to ground control and remote viewing stations.
The PUMA 3 AE is a fully man-portable hand-launched UAS designed for land and maritime operations. It has a wingspan of 2.8m, weighs 6.8kg and can operate for up to 2.5 hours at a range of up to 20km with a standard antenna, and up to 60km with AeroVironment’s Long-Range Tracking Antenna (LRTA). Capable of landing in water or on land, the all-environment PUMA, with its MANTIS i45 EO/IR sensor suite, provides operators with extended flight time and a level of imaging capability never before available in the tactical UAS class.
AeroVironment’s family of tactical UAS use a common ground control station and software, allowing for improved interoperability and decreased training and logistics costs for NATO forces.
