Scott Nicholas
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 operated by members of a ship’s crew to recover the UAS in land or water.
The UAS system is designed to be hand-launched from a ship to stream data directly into the ship’s command and control system as well as the Navy’s communications network and autonomously guide itself into a net on the flight deck after it completes its mission.
Kirk Flittie, vice president and general manager of AeroVironment’s unmanned aerial systems business segment, said the precision recovery system will help expand the Puma AE’s capacity to support maritime operations and builds on the company’s extensive operational experience with small UAS.
The Defense Department has established the designation RQ-20B for the block 2 Puma AE system that includes a lighter propulsion system, precision inertial navigation system and all environment Mantis i45 gimbal sensor suite for image resolution.
