Matthew Nelson
AeroVironment won a $10.6M contract to deliver a portable unmanned aircraft system and associated spares in support of the U.S. Marine Corps and Navy’s Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems program.
The Puma 3 AE unmanned aircraft is built to enable persistent situational awareness capacities and conduct expeditionary reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition missions, the company said Tuesday.
The platform weighs 15 pounds with a wingspan of 9.2 feet and can operate up to two-and-a-half hours within a 12.4-mile range. It also houses a long-range tracking antenna and a Mantis i45 electro-optical/infrared sensor system for expanded flight hours and optimized imaging features.
Rick Pedigo, vice president of business development at AeroVironment, said Puma 3AE delivers actionable intelligence data to warfighters through its capacity to operate within land and maritime environments.
