AeroVironment, Inc., a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), announced on April 6 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.
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This third-generation Puma 3 AE (All Environment) is equipped with the powerful Mantis i45 gimbaled payload for use in day, night, or low-light environments, and for land or maritime operations. It features an array of communication frequencies (M1/2/5 and M3/4/6), all protected with powerful AES-256 bit encryption, and a reinforced airframe with an optional under wing transit bay for secondary payloads and third-party applications. With both manual and autonomous navigation capability, Puma 3 AE's newly-enhanced propulsion system makes it significantly more efficient and easier to hand-launch (Picture source: AeroVironment)
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.
