U.S. Marines Buy Puma 3AE Drones

The U.S. Marine Corps awarded AeroVironment $6 million for Puma 3 AE small unmanned aircraft systems (SUAS) and spares.

The contract was signed on May 3, the company said in a release today. Delivery is anticipated to be completed in July 2022.

AeroVironment’s Puma 3 AE delivers mission critical capabilities in all environments. Puma 3 AE has a wingspan of 9.2 feet (2.8 meters), weighs 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms) and can operate up to 37.2 miles (60 kilometers) with AeroVironment’s Long-Range Tracking Antenna (LRTA). Multi-mission capable, operators can easily swap Puma 3 AE’s payloads quickly, selecting between the Mantis i45 and the enhanced night variant, Mantis i45 N. Puma 3 AE is launchable by hand, bungee, rail, or vehicle, and is recoverable by deep-stall landing.