AeroVironment has been awarded a $10.3 million contract by the Netherlands ministry of defense to provide small unmanned aircraft systems and digital data link upgrade services to the Dutch military. The company said Monday it will refresh the DDL system for the Dutch forces’ Raven B, Puma AE  and Wasp AE vehicles as well as ground control systems under the contract. The Netherlands’ defense […] More

AeroVironment has been awarded a one-year, $22.8 million contract to produce loitering aerial munitions for the U.S. Army in an effort to help warfighters conduct precision strike missions. The company said Monday it will provide Block 10C Switchblade lethal miniature aerial missile systems and support services under the contract with the Army’s Close Combat Weapons Systems Project Office. The Army procured the […] More

The U.S. Army has awarded AeroVironment a $3.4 million contract to produce small unmanned airborne systems for Spain’s defense ministry. AeroVironment secured the contract for the RQ-11B Raven UAS through a foreign military sales program, the company said Thursday. The drone has a 4.2-pound wingspan and is designed for use in low-altitude surveillance, intelligence and […] More

AeroVironment has delivered a NATO-compliant maritime unmanned aircraft system to Germany’s navy. The company said Monday the Puma UAS is designed to be used with existing naval vessels without the need for extensive modifications. The units are fitted with the Mantis i45 sensor and remote video terminals to provide surveillance capabilities. Germany will receive Pumas co-produced with […] More

The Canadian department of national defense has selected a team of AeroVironment and Maxar Technologies‘ MDA subsidiary to provide small unmanned aerial systems for deployment aboard the Canadian navy’s maritime coastal defense vessels. AeroVironment said Wednesday the military service will receive Puma II AE mini UAS equipped with 360-degree antenna and Mantis i45 sensor systems designed to support […] More

AeroVironment has begun to update its two small unmanned aircraft system offerings in an effort to increase the performance of both platforms in rugged and complex environments. The company said Monday Puma AE and Raven upgrades will include durability enhancements and new digital data link security tools designed for radio electronic warfare and cyber operations. “In […] More

The U.S. Navy has awarded AeroVironment a potential $2.6 million contract to continue the production tube-launched unmanned aerial vehicles and associated equipment. AeroVironment  said Monday it will provide multiple Blackwing UAVs along with sensor payloads and refurbishment kits to the service branch. The company aims to deliver the initial batch of vehicles by May 2018 and complete all deliveries by November next year. […] More

AeroVironment has introduced a long-range tracking antenna the company designed to increase the data transmission capacity of its Puma AE unmanned aircraft system. The company said Tuesday the LRTA upgrade supports Puma systems equipped with Digital Data Link technology and seeks to help operators collect intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data at a range of approximately 37 miles. […] More

AeroVironment has debuted a rugged miniature unmanned aircraft system the company designed to aid close-range military intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Snipe Nano Quad is equipped with electro-optical/infrared, low-light-capable and long-wave infrared sensors and an integrated tilt mechanism for the transmission of images and record real-time video in daytime and nighttime operations, AeroVironment said Tuesday. “No assembly is required for the five-ounce […] More

AeroVironment has released a new launch system that will work to allow remote deployments of the company’s Switchblade Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile System and Blackwing tube-launched unmanned aircraft system. The company said Tuesday the Multi-Pack Launcher supports integration at forward operating bases and tactical ground vehicles to help provide incoming fire and force protection and on-the-go intelligence, surveillance and […] More

The U.S. Navy has demonstrated the communication, control and command functions of a small AeroVironment-built unmanned aircraft vehicle at the service branch’s Annual Naval Technology Exercise. AeroVironment said Wednesday its Blackwing UAV worked to connect with a swarm of unmanned undersea vehicles and communicated with a manned submarine’s combat control system during the ANTX event. The drone used a government-owned digital data link to transfer […] More

The U.S. Navy has tested and deployed an AeroVironment-developed small unmanned aircraft with a precision recovery system the service branch envisions for use on a wide variety of vessels for rapid response reconnaissance operations. AeroVironment said Thursday the RQ-20B Puma AE system was tested aboard a Flight I guided missile destroyer along with its precision recovery system that can be managed and […] More