Sun, Oct 02, 2011
Initial Contract Supports Training In Preparation For Broader
Deployment
The U.S. Air force has placed a firm-fixed-price order for new
digital Raven small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and initial
spares packages. The systems and spares are scheduled for delivery
within the next several months. The $6,874,175 package will be
executed by the Air Force under an existing contract with the U.S.
Army.
The Air Force Security Forces plan to employ Raven systems,
developed by AeroVironment, to enhance situational awareness and
security at bases worldwide. This initial order will provide
systems for training of Air Force personnel to support broader
deployment.
"Real-time aerial video from small unmanned aircraft systems has
proven invaluable to warfighters on the battlefield, and can
similarly benefit Security Forces at Air Force bases,” said
Tom Herring, AeroVironment senior vice president and general
manager, Unmanned Aircraft Systems. "For a fraction of the cost of
larger unmanned aircraft systems, Raven, Puma and Wasp systems
deliver situational awareness directly to the troops who need it,
helping them operate more effectively and saving lives. With our
customers looking for ways to do more with much less, small UAS
provide tremendous value at a relatively low cost.”
The Raven unmanned aircraft is a 4.2-pound, backpackable,
hand-launched sensor platform. It can provide day and night,
real-time video imagery for "over the hill" and "around the corner"
reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition in support of
tactical units. U.S. armed forces use Raven systems extensively for
missions such as base security, route reconnaissance, mission
planning and force protection. Each Raven system typically consists
of three aircraft, two ground control stations and spares.
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