AeroVironment has received two firm-fixed-price orders totaling $9,804,448 from the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) for its Raven and Puma 3 AE tactical UAS and spares. The first order is expected to be delivered by Aug. 2020, and the second order by Oct. 2020.

The orders are part of a three-year base contract received from NSPA in Jan. 2020. The contract includes an option for two additional years of logistics support for Raven, Wasp and Puma tactical UAS.

The total potential value of the multi-year contract is $80 million, which includes the procurement and sustainment of AeroVironment’s tactical UAS employed by the defense forces of several NATO countries.

“AeroVironment’s tactical unmanned aircraft systems, such as Raven and Puma, have helped transform the way U.S. and allied forces plan, train, equip and operate,” says Rick Pedigo, vice president of sales and business development at AeroVironment.

“Both systems benefit from continuous technology improvements and pack significant capabilities into portable, man-packable platforms that provide operators with rapid and effective force protection.”

Designed for rapid deployment and high mobility for operations requiring low-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, the Raven UAS has a wingspan of 4.5 feet and weighs just 4.2 pounds. Launched by hand, the UAS provides situational awareness during the day or night, with an operational range of 6.2 miles. Real-time video or infrared imagery is delivered to ground control and remote viewing stations via the Raven’s Mantis i23 EO/IR gimbaled payload.

Designed for land and maritime operations, the fully man-portable Puma 3 AE is also launched by hand. With a wingspan of 9.2 feet and weighing 15 pounds, the UAS can operate for up to 2.5 hours at a range of up to 12.4 miles with a standard antenna, and up to 37.2 miles with AeroVironment’s Long-Range Tracking Antenna (LRTA).

The all-environment Puma can land in water or on land. Its Mantis i45 EO/IR sensor suite gives the operator extended flight time and a level of imaging capability never before available in the tactical UAS class, according to AeroVironment.

AeroVironment’s family of tactical UAS use a common ground control station and software, which allows for improved interoperability and decreased training and logistics costs for NATO forces.