The US Army has provided $74m (£63m) in funding for UAS company AeroVironment as part of a one-year, funded contract award.
The deal will see the US Army gain use of AeroVironment’s Switchblade loitering missile system.
The contract award was funded for the first year of procurement through a Joint Urgent Operational Need Statement from the United States Army Tactical Aviation and Ground Munitions project office.
Deliveries are expected to commence by September 2020.
Two additional years are on the table, though currently unfunded. This would take the contract up to 2023.
“For nearly a decade, AeroVironment’s Switchblade has delivered unmatched force protection and precision strike capabilities at the battlefield edge to the U.S. Army,” said Brett Hush, AeroVironment senior product line general manager of Tactical Missile Systems.
He continued: “We will continue to enhance the capabilities of this battle-proven product, and stand ready with a proven supply chain and customer support system in order to respond effectively to U.S. and allied customers’ needs.”
