MONROVIA, Calif., 3 July 2008. The U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has selected AeroVironment Inc.'s Puma AE as its All Environment Capable Variant (AECV) solution to the Small Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) requirement.
The one-year, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract, with four one-year options, has a maximum value of $200,000,000, and provides for the purchase of aircraft, ground control systems, spares, repairs, and training. The initial delivery order is valued at $6 million and is fully funded.
The hand-launched Puma AE lands near-vertically on both land and water and is equipped with a day- and night-capable, waterproof sensor package that provides image tracking, image stabilization, and high-image quality.
Puma AE systems incorporate the same handheld Ground Control Unit used by U.S. Department of Defense and allied military customers to control Raven and Wasp systems.
Ship-based use of Puma AE does not require modification to naval vessels.
The AECV program represents the fourth U.S. Department of Defense full and open competition for a small UAS program of record, and the fourth won by AV.
"Puma AE joins Raven and Wasp in AV's product portfolio, delivering a powerful new solution for land and ship-based, over-the-horizon intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance," says John Grabowsky, AV executive vice president and general manager of unmanned aircraft systems.
U.S. armed forces including the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and USSOCOM, as well as international forces such as those of Italy, Denmark, Spain, and the Netherlands, use AV's hand-launched UAS for missions that include base security, route reconnaissance, mission planning, battle damage assessment ,and force protection.
