USMC Orders RQ-20A PUMA AE UAS

AeroVironment has received a firm fixed-price order valued at $13,015,396 for RQ-20A PUMA AE small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and initial spares packages for the United States Marine Corps (USMC) on 27 October 2015.

The USMC employs the PUMA AE system as the long-range solution for its small unit remote scouting system (SURSS), complementing the AeroVironment RQ-11B RAVEN and RQ-12A WASP AE UAS.

"The PUMA AE unmanned aircraft system delivers situational awareness directly to its operator in ground, riverine and maritime operations," said Kirk Flittie, AeroVironment vice president and general manager of its UAS business segment.  "Working with the professionals at ADS, we continue to support the Marine Corps with reliable, easy-to-use UAS solutions that help give them information superiority on the battlefield."

AeroVironment received the order from ADS on behalf of the USMC through the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Tailored Logistics Support (TLS) programme.  Delivery is scheduled within 12 months.

The PUMA AE weighs 13.5 pounds, operates for more than 210 minutes at a range of up to 15 kilometers and delivers live, streaming color and infrared video as well as laser illumination from its pan-tilt-zoom MANTIS i23 AE gimbaled payload.  Launched by hand and capable of landing on the ground or in fresh or salt water, the PUMA AE provides portability and flexibility for infantry, littoral or maritime reconnaissance operations.