• Portable, rugged Puma 3 All Environment (AE) unmanned aircraft system provides immediate tactical reconnaissance capabilities for land and maritime operations
• Four orders received encompass procurement of Puma 3 AE tactical unmanned aircraft systems and initial spares packages
Puma 3 All Environment (AE) unmanned aircraft system delivers real-time situational awareness and actionable intelligence for both maritime and land based operations. (Photo: AeroVironment, Inc.)
SIMI VALLEY, Calif., April 6, 2021 – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), today announced its receipt of four firm-fixed-price orders totaling $11,527,074 from the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) for Puma™ 3 AE tactical UAS and initial spares packages.
The orders are part of a three-year base contract received from NSPA in January 2020. The contract includes an option for two additional years of logistics support for Raven®, Wasp® and Puma tactical UAS. The total potential value of the multi-year contract is $80 million, encompassing the procurement and sustainment of AeroVironment tactical UAS employed by the defense forces of several NATO countries.
AeroVironment received the orders in October and December 2020, with delivery anticipated by June 2021.
“The Puma AE unmanned aircraft system enables frontline forces to gather real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in any operational environment,” said Trace Stevenson, AeroVironment vice president and small UAS product line general manager. “Puma AE and other products within AeroVironment’s family of tactical UAS use a common ground control station and software, providing increased capability to the warfighter and greater interoperability among NATO forces.”
AeroVironment’s Puma 3 AE unmanned aircraft system is designed for land and maritime operations. The hand-launched Puma 3 AE has a wingspan of 9.2 feet, weighs 15 pounds and can operate for up to 2.5 hours. The aircraft also has a range of 12.4 miles (20 kilometers) with a standard antenna, and up to 37.2 miles (60 kilometers) with AeroVironment’s Long-Range Tracking Antenna (LRTA). It also features reduced system packaging with a flyable configuration and GCS in one case. Capable of landing in water or on land, the all-environment Puma 3 AE and Mantis i45 EO/IR sensor suite empower 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 comprises the majority of all unmanned aircraft in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) inventory and its rapidly growing international customer base of more than 50 allied governments. To learn more, visit www.avinc.com.
ABOUT AEROVIRONMENT UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SOLUTIONS
AeroVironment’s portfolio of intelligent, multi-domain robotic systems includes small footprint, runway-independent unmanned aircraft systems. The JUMP® 20, T-20™ and Puma™ LE provide extended range, multi-payload capabilities, and the Puma™ RQ-20, Raven® RQ-11B, Wasp® RQ-12A, VAPOR® Helicopter and automated Quantix™ Recon deliver highly tactical, frontline situational awareness. These solutions deliver increased, multi-mission capabilities and 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. AeroVironment provides turnkey ISR and support services worldwide to ensure a consistently high level of mission success.
AeroVironment has delivered tens of thousands of new and replacement unmanned air vehicles to customers within the United States and to more than 50 allied governments. For more information, visit www.avinc.com/uas.
