The fixed wing Jump 20 will be used by USSOCOM for BLOS ISR operations (Photo: Aerovironment)
USSOCOM has awarded AeroVironment a $22 million contract for beyond line of sight (BLOS) ISR services under Mid-Endurance Unmanned Aircraft Systems (MEUAS) IV acquisition plans.
The contract includes Jump 20 medium UAVs being used by USSOCOM from an undisclosed location, AeroVironment confirmed in a 13 July company statement.
The ISR services include a first SATCOM-enabled UAV for BLOS operations, with contract terms covering a 12-month performance period and multiple follow-on option years for ISR services, according to AeroVironment.
Capabilities of the fixed wing Jump 20 UAV include an endurance of over 14 hours and range of 185km; it is also runway-independent. The system can be set up and operated in less than 60 minutes without launch or recovery equipment.
Additionally, the Jump 20 features a common autopilot and GCS architecture providing, AeroVironment say, a 'highly customisable, modular platform which can be custom-configured to meet operational or customer requirements'.
Shephard Defence Insight also notes that alongside MEUAS IV the aircraft is involved in the US Army's Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) effort.
The uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) will start off in the electronic warfare space, according to the companies, to support existing crewed frontline platforms, with many major details still to be disclosed.
The British-built long-range strike one-way effector (OWE) is the latest offering from the company, which demonstrated its smaller OWE SkyShark in July.
Skyeton Prevail Solutions, a Ukrainian and British JV, has designed its Raybird UAV to meet the needs of defence, civilian and industrial industries.
The high-mass saturation weapon, positioned as a low-cost variant in the SPEAR portfolio, could be indigenously produced by any future customer, according to MBDA.
The updated stealth airframe model will be displayed for the first time at DSEI 2025 to showcase the maturity of the technologies and system ahead of its launch into the development phase, MBDA said.
The One-Way Effector (Heavy) (OWE(H)) was designed over seven months, with the company currently in discussions to field demonstrations of the product by Q4 2025.
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