U.S. Army Awards AeroVironment $11.7M for Raven Tactical UAS Contract

AeroVironment today announced the United States Army exercised the third and final option under the Flight Control Systems (FCS) domain of the Army’s multi-year small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) contract on Sept. 9, 2021.

The value of the contract option is $11.7 million and includes flight control system kits, ground control stations and tail booms for the Army’s existing fleet of Raven tactical UAS.

Delivery is scheduled to be completed by September 2022.

The contract option was exercised under the Army’s FCS domain awarded to AeroVironment in June 2019 and announced in November 2019 – the first of six domains comprising the Army’s existing five-year Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) SUAS contract – bringing the total final value of contract to $54.6 million.

The Raven system is designed for rapid deployment and high mobility for operations requiring low-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). With a wingspan of 4.5 feet and weighing just 4.2 pounds (1.9 kilograms), the hand-launched Raven provides situational awareness, day or night, with an operational range of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers). The Raven’s Mantis i23 EO/IR gimbaled payload delivers real-time video or infrared imagery to ground control and remote viewing stations.