AeroVironment, Inc. of Simi Valley, CA announced on October 22 that it received a $5,254,912 firm fixed-price contract award for Puma™ 3 AE systems and support equipment on August 8, 2019 for the U.S. Border Patrol, part of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Delivery is anticipated by January 2020.
AeroVironment’s Puma 3 AE small
unmanned aircraft system is designed for the real-world environment Border
Patrol agents operate in. Easy to transport, deploy and operate, the Puma
system can be launched from anywhere, at any time, and requires no additional
infrastructure, such as runways or launch devices. The AeroVironment Puma flies
for hours in the most extreme environments while producing high-resolution,
continuous or on-demand spot surveillance of critical land and sea border areas
at any time of the day or night. Highly automated and with GPS navigation, the
Puma dramatically extends the reach of Border Patrol agents at a fraction of
the cost of manned or larger unmanned aircraft.
“Operating on the nation’s front
line, U.S. Border Patrol agents deploy the AeroVironment Puma system day or
night from a safe distance to scan a border area for activity and then use that
information to respond more quickly, more stealthily and with less risk,” said
Rick Pedigo, AeroVironment vice president of business development. “Puma takes
on the tougher missions in treacherous and dangerous terrain and keeps border
agents out of harm’s way. Border Patrol agents pack the system on their
vehicles, allowing them to gain an eyes-in-the-sky advantage at a moment’s
notice.”
The Puma 3 AE systems will also
support humanitarian missions, assisting in the location of individuals in need
of aid along difficult-to-reach border areas and responding to natural
disasters.
The AeroVironment Puma AE is a fully man-portable unmanned aircraft system designed for land and maritime operations. Capable of landing in water or on land, the all-environment Puma, with its Mantis i45 sensor suite, empowers the operator with extended flight time and a level of imaging capability never before available in the small UAS class.
Source: AeroVironment
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