AeroVironment (AV), of Monrovia, Calif., received an $8.4 million contract order under a follow-on contract with the U.S. Army to supply Raven small unmanned aircraft systems (SUAS) and initial spares packages.
The Raven unmanned aircraft is a 4.2-pound, backpackable, hand-launched sensor platform that provides day and night, real-time video imagery for "over the hill" and "around the corner" reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition in support of tactical units. U.S. armed forces use Raven systems for missions such as base security, route reconnaissance, mission planning and force protection. Each Raven system typically consists of three aircraft, two ground control stations and spares.