AeroVironment, Inc. today announced it has received a contract from the United States Army totaling $3.4 million for RQ-11B Raven® unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to supply the Spanish Ministry of Defense via the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.
A Spanish Military Member Launches the RQ-11B Raven Unmanned Aircraft System (Photo by Jaime Garcia)
Raven is the most widely used UAS in the world today. It is designed for rapid deployment and high mobility for military applications requiring low-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. With a wingspan of 4.5 feet and weighing 4.2 pounds, the hand-launched Raven provides aerial observation, day or night, at line-of-sight ranges up to approximately 6.2 miles (10 kilometers).
“As the global leader in the design and manufacture of small unmanned aircraft systems, AeroVironment continues to set the standard for delivering increasingly valuable capabilities in some of the most challenging conditions and places in the world,” said Kirk Flittie, AeroVironment vice president and general manager of the company’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems business segment. “All U.S. armed services and more than thirty global allied forces rely on our unmanned aircraft systems to gain rapid intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance for information superiority in today’s hot zones.”
“Our small UAS deliver powerful insight, on-demand for valuable, real-time situational awareness – whenever and wherever needed – that helps military personnel operate more safely and effectively,” Flittie said.
To date, AeroVironment has delivered more than 25,000 new and replacement small unmanned aerial vehicles to customers worldwide.