Raven UAS to receive avionics, data link upgrades under Army contract
NewsJuly 09, 2020
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. AeroVironment, Inc., company specializing in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), announced the U.S. Army exercised the first of three options under the sole source Flight Control Systems (FCS) domain of the Army’s multi-year small UAS contract April 28, 2020.
The value of the initial contract option is $21,058,643 and includes avionics and data link upgrade packages to modify radio frequencies (RF) employed by the Army’s existing fleet of Raven tactical UAS. Delivery will take place over a two-year period.
The Army exercised the option under the FCS domain awarded to AeroVironment by the Army in June 2019. FCS is one of six domains comprising the Army’s existing five-year Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) SUAS contract, and has a potential value of up to $55 million.
AeroVironment’s Raven system is designed for rapid deployment and high mobility for operations requiring low-altitude intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. The Raven’s Mantis i23 EO/IR gimbaled payload aims to deliver real-time video or infrared imagery to ground control and remote viewing stations.
