Thu, Dec 02, 2021
Puma 3, Wasp All Environment UAVs Purchased for FMS Program
AeroVironment's unmanned aerial vehicles have gained another customer through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program, selling their Puma 3 All Environment (AE) and Wasp AE ISR systems to an undisclosed ally.
The company received a $4.1 million firm-fixed-price contract with the Department of Defense FMS office that included their Puma 3 and Wasp with spares packages, training, and support with delivery anticipated by Fall 2022. The Puma 3 AE is a battery-powered, hand-launchable drone weighing 15 pounds that can operate for up to 2.5 hours up to 12.4 miles away in standard trim. With the optional extended range antenna, that range can nearly double to just under 25 miles, with even further improvements available through the Long-Range Tracking Antenna system that brings that range to 37 miles, with some drawbacks. The 9-foot wingspan carries a total payload of 5.5 pounds, with a secondary storage bay including a dedicated power supply and ethernet connectivity.
The Puma features a compact, low-footprint aircraft and ground control system suited for landing on water or land. The included Mantis I45 EO/IR sensor suite belies the small drone's size, boasting ISR capabilities more customarily seen on full size light aircraft. Each sensor is fully gimbaled, allowing for superior image quality through its infrared, low-light, and optical cameras even in rough air. For aerial oversight, the included NVG-visible laser illuminator allows operators to designate targets on the ground.
The Wasp AE is even smaller, a man-portable UAS that weighing in at only a few pounds while boasting stealthy maneuverability, superior imagery, encrypted video uplinks and exceptional ease of use. The Wasp boasts a gimbaled payload with mechanical stabilization, enabling advanced, stable imagery even in high-wind conditions, with support for manual or autonomous navigation. Like the larger Puma, the Wasp operates using AeroVironment's proprietary Crysalis ground control automation systems, which can feed video feeds into a remote video terminal with receive-only access to actionable intelligence. Ground units can see what the drone sees with a lightweight, portable screen to see, record, or locate important mission objectives.
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