Textrons' Aerosonde, AeroVironment JUMP 20 Drones Shortlisted for U.S. Army's FTUAS Program

Textron Systems' Aerosonde besides AeroVironment JUMP 20 drones have been short-listed in the competition for the U.S. Army’s Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (FTUAS) Increment-2 Program.
Textron Systems' is offering its Aerosonde Hybrid Quad (HQ) in support of the FTUAS program which is built to support the key requirements of the Army’s Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs), a Textron Systems' release said.
Said Wayne Prender, Senior Vice President of Air Systems. “In its 4.8 configuration tailored for the Army BCT’s mission, our system distinguishes itself with its use of heavy fuel to simplify logistics and its efficient transportability whether by helicopters or tactical vehicle. We have designed Aerosonde to MOSA [Modular Open Systems Approach] standards. With an open approach, there’s a proven ability to rapidly inject capabilities, behaviors and payloads developed by industry, government and academic partners."

During the early stages of what would become the U.S. Army’s FTUAS program, AeroVironment’s JUMP 20 demonstrated superior competitive performance and was awarded the FTUAS Increment 1 contract to develop a prototype system to field to one Brigade Combat Team (BCT), a AeroVironment statement said March 1.

AeroVironment’s JUMP® 20 will compete with several other vendors in the FTUAS Increment 2 multi-phased effort which will allow the Army to select the best system for its needs. Ultimately, FTUAS Increment 2 aircraft will be fielded to Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) throughout the Army, replacing the long-serving RQ-7B Shadow UAS, it added