JUMP 20 drone participates in U.S. Navy exercise
NewsJune 13, 2025
ARLINGTON, Virginia. AeroVironment’s JUMP 20 medium uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) provided maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) services for the U.S. Navy’s 4th Fleet during Operation Southern Spear, the company announced in a statement.
Deployed under a company-owned, company-operated model, the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAS was used across the Caribbean and southern Atlantic region to monitor and track potential illicit activities, the statement reads. The operation marked the platform’s first long-duration maritime deployment, conducted under the Monitoring, Analysis, Reconnaissance, Logistics, Intelligence, and Network Services (MARLINS) Task Order as a subcontractor to SMX.
According to the company, JUMP 20 offers autonomous launch and recovery on moving ships without additional equipment and can operate in sea state level 5 conditions and winds above 20 knots. The aircraft is designed for rapid deployment and modular mission support.
Operation Southern Spear aimed to support the Navy’s Hybrid Fleet Campaign by integrating robotic and autonomous systems into manned-unmanned teaming efforts. AeroVironment states that JUMP 20 had previously accumulated over 130,000 flight hours in land-based combat operations.
