US Army orders more RQ-20B Puma 3 AE small UASs from AeroVironment
AeroVironment is providing almost 50 more RQ-20B Puma 3 AE small UASs to the US Army.
AeroVironment has obtained an $11.24 million contract modification from the US Army to provide an undisclosed number of RQ-20B Puma 3 AE small UASs, with an estimated completion date of 31 July 2023.
The original contract was awarded on 27 January by the US Army Program Executive Office Aviation.
Shephard Defence Insight calculates the unit cost of an RQ-20B system (comprising three UAVs and two ground stations) as $230,000, which suggests that the contract modification is for 48 systems.
The RQ-20B is designed for ISR operations and is equipped with the Mantis i45 gimbal that includes two 15mp EO cameras with 50x zoom, IR capabilities and high power illumination.
The UAV can provide high-resolution images during the day, night, low-light, and extreme conditions as an all-environment system.
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