AeroVironment takes on FTUAS Increment 1

Multi-domain robotic system manufacturer AeroVironment has received a transaction agreement from the US Army, the company announced on 18 August.

The contract is for Increment 1 of the army’s Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (FTUAS) programme and covers the purchase, testing and delivery of an AeroVironment Jump 20 medium UAS (MUAS) to a selected brigade combat team. The agreement also covers associated services, training and support.

‘With Increment 1 of the FTUAS program, the army will be testing and fielding the Jump 20 on an accelerated schedule as they seek a replacement for the RQ-7B Shadow UAS currently fielded in brigade combat teams,’ Gorik Hossepian, the company’s VP and product line manager, said in a statement.

Jump 20 is the first fixed-wing UAS with VTOL capability to be deployed by the US military. The aircraft can provide ISR services with increased manoeuvrability and improved C2, AeroVironment said.

In May, the president and CEO of the company said it was confident whoever wins Increment 1 ‘will be in a really strong position for the remainder of the [FTUAS] competition’.

Designed to source a replacement for the RQ-7 Shadow, the FTUAS effort wrapped up an extensive test and demonstration phase in Q4 2021, involving AeroVironment’s Jump 20, Textron’s Aerosonde HQ, L3Harris Technologies’ FVR-90 and Martin UAV's V-Bat.