MOD Orders JUMP 20 Medium UAS, Engineering, Support

AeroVironment, based in Arlington, Virginia, announced it has secured a five-year contract with the Italian Ministry of Defense valued at $46.6 million to provide its JUMP 20 Medium UAS vehicles, engineering services, and sustainment and onsite tech support services.

The JUMP 20 is a VTOL fixed-wing autonomous Medium UAV that can carry a 30-lb payload for more than 13 hours at an operational range of about 115 mi (185 km). It is purpose-built for expeditionary operations and can be easily stored, transported, then quickly set up and autonomously launched without personnel.

The JUMP 20 was selected at the end of a competitive procurement and testing process to meet the Italian MOD’s stringent technical and operational requirements as it replaces its Shadow UAS fleet with modern systems.

Shane Hastings, Vice President and General Manager of Medium UAS for AV said, “We are honored to strengthen our partnership with the Italian Ministry of Defence through the delivery of the JUMP 20, a system that enhances their operational capabilities.

“This contract builds on our history of supporting NATO allies with world-class uncrewed systems that reflects our unwavering commitment to innovation and mission success reinforcing our reputation as a trusted partner our customers can rely on.”

The JUMP 20 is built on a Modular Open Systems Approach, or MOSA, that incorporates adaptability, affordability, flexibility, and emphasizes the interoperability required by law for U.S. defense systems. The vehicles are used primarily for advanced ISR capabilities – intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance – with multi-payload flexibility and interoperability across current and future systems.

FMI:  www.avinc.com/