AeroVironment Awarded $10.5M Puma LE UAS FMS Contract for US Ally

AeroVironment, Inc. a global leader in intelligent, multi-domain robotic systems, today announced it received a $10,534,348 firm-fixed-price U.S. Department of Defense Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract award on Jan. 21, 2022. The contract includes the delivery of Puma™ LE small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) over a six-year period to an allied nation, as well as add-on air vehicle kits, initial spares packages, training and support.

“With the adoption of Puma LE and other AeroVironment small UAS, customers are equipping their frontline forces with the ability to see and operate beyond the horizon, gathering on-demand intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance that can ultimately save lives,” said Trace Stevenson, AeroVironment vice president and product line general manager for small UAS.

Weighing only 23.5 pounds (10.7 kilograms), the ultra-lightweight Puma LE is hand or bungee launchable. The aircraft comes equipped with the Mantis™ i45 gimbaled EO/IR sensor suite and secondary payload bay with dedicated power supply and Ethernet for a total payload capacity of 5.5 pounds (2.5 kilograms). On-board batteries provide up to 6.5 hours of flight endurance with an operational range of 37.2 miles (60 kilometers) when used with AeroVironment’s Long-Range Tracking Antenna (LRTA) and Puma Smart 2500 Battery.