AeroVironment, based in Monrovia, Calif., received a $7.2 million contract delivery order for new digital Puma All Environment (AE) unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and training services. The items were procured under an existing United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) All Environment Capable Variant (AECV) indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract.
This order follows two recently announced orders procured under the same contract. On Aug. 31, 2010, AV announced an order valued at $35.3 million for digital Puma systems, spares and training services.
On Sept. 8, 2010, AV announced an additional order valued at $4.4 million for Puma payloads and retrofits. Work is scheduled to be performed within a period of several months.
Each Puma system consists of three air vehicles and two ground control systems. The air vehicle carries an integrated electro-optical and infrared gimbaled video camera, is designed for enhanced survivability in land and maritime environments. The Puma air vehicle weighs 13 pounds, is battery powered and has a flight endurance of two hours.