Aerovironment Receives $990 Million Contract to Possibly Develop FPV Drones

AeroVironment Inc. was awarded a $990,000,000 contract to provide an organic, stand-off capability to dismounted infantry formations capable of destroying tanks, light armored vehicles, hardened targets, defilade and personnel targets, a Pentagon contract announcement said Tuesday.

Though not specified, the award information fits the description of a first person view (FPV) drone, being used successfully in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 26, 2029, the announcement said.

Aerovironment has number of small UAVs in its portfolio such as the Vapor helicopter drone and the Switchblade series of loitering munitions. But these require dedicated operators and don’t fit into the description of a “stand-off capability to infantry formations.”

FPV drones are small UAVs fitted with lightweight muntions that can be carried by soldiers and launched at short notice upon detecting enemy formations. These are cheap to produce, easy to carry and if deployed correctly, can cripple enemy tanks, armored vehicles and personnel targets.