Drone Aviation meets Department of Defense need for tactical aerostat with multi-mission, optics, communications payloads

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Drone Aviation Holding Corp. (OTCQB:DRNE), a manufacturer of tethered unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or drones and lighter-than-air aerostats, in Jacksonville, Florida, won a contract valued in excess of $1.7 million from the Department of Defense (DOD) for its multi-mission-capable, tactical Winch Aerostat Small Platform (WASP), including high-performance payloads designed for day/night intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), secure multi-frequency and multi-wave form communications, and operator training.

This new order marks Drone Aviation’s largest single contract award to date for the WASP. The latest Department of Defense (DOD) customer order is the third repeat order awarded to the company for its WASP and comes as the result of a growing number of successful international deployments with military personnel, officials say. It is also the second DOD order in just four months.

“Today’s $1.7 million contract award reconfirms the growing interest in the WASP based upon actual deployment experience and our ability to cost-effectively deliver ISR and secure communications at the edge of the battlefield. Most importantly, in contrast to the significant expense and logistical challenges associated with the larger, mostly fixed infrastructure aerostat systems deployed today, WASP is rapidly deployable and mobile, providing nearly unmatched mission flexibility,” says Drone Aviation President Dan Erdberg. “We look forward to further serving the needs of this important customer by delivering persistent, aerial solutions that enable our military to meet both current and future mission requirements.”

“Our ongoing dedication to innovation in aerostat development gives us confidence in our ability to deliver solutions that meet the needs of today’s military and position us for additional contracts in 2018,” adds Jay Nussbaum, chairman and CEO of Drone Aviation Corp.

The WASP is a highly tactical and mobile aerostat system which can be operated by as few as two soldiers and can provide day/night video, secure multi-frequency and multi-wave form wireless communication range extension capability at the edge of the battlefield from either a fixed, stationary position, or while being towed. Over the past four years, U.S. Army-owned WASP systems have successfully completed thousands of hours of soldier training operations, various DoD exercises, and customer operations.

WASP is currently being utilized by the DOD as a mobile, tactical aerial solution that can support multi-mission profiles involving ground and aerial-based assets through communication retransmission. Operating at altitudes of up to 1,500 feet AGL, the WASP system can significantly extend ISR capabilities and secure communications in remote and austere locations. The soldier-operated systems can be rapidly configured to support a variety of mission requirements for days, weeks or months with customized payloads.

The WASP is a compact, tactical, mobile system providing multi-mission capabilities that can be operated on the move or rapidly relocated. It is a highly tactical and mobile aerostat system which can be operated by as few as two soldiers and can provide day/night video and secure wireless communication range extension at the edge of the battlefield from either a fixed, stationary position or while being towed. Over the past four years, U.S. Army-owned WASP systems have successfully completed thousands of hours of soldier training operations, various DoD exercises, and customer operations. WASP is currently being utilized by the DoD as a mobile, tactical aerial solution that can support various ISR mission profiles involving ground and aerial-based assets through communication retransmission. Operating at altitudes of up to 1,500 feet AGL, the WASP system can significantly extend ISR capabilities and secure communications in remote and austere locations. The soldier-operated systems can be rapidly configured to support a variety of mission requirements for days, weeks or months with customized payloads.

Drone Aviation Holding Corp. (OTCQB:DRNE) develops and manufactures cost-effective, compact and rapidly deployable aerial platforms, including lighter-than-air aerostats and electric-powered drones designed to provide government and commercial customers with enhanced surveillance and communication capabilities. Utilizing a patented tether system, Drone Aviation’s products are designed to provide prolonged operational duration capabilities combined with improved reliability, uniquely fulfilling critical requirements in military, law enforcement, commercial, and industrial applications.