USMC orders RQ-12 Wasp AE SUAS
The US Marine Corps (USMC) has ordered additional AeroVironment RQ-12 Wasp AE small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) as part of a $22 million contract announced on 24 September.
The RQ-12 Wasp AE UAS will join the AeroVironment RQ-11B Raven and RQ-20A Puma AE aircraft in the USMC’s UAS fleet.
AeroVironment received the order from ADS on behalf of the USMC through the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Tailored Logistics Support (TLS) programme. The package includes initial spares, and delivery is scheduled within 12 months.
Roy Minson, senior vice president and general manager of UAS, AeroVironment, said: ‘Together with the professionals at ADS, whose military-experienced personnel procured this order by demonstrating a clear understanding of the customer's mission and requirements, we are confident that Wasp AE will provide deployed marines with valuable situational awareness that will help them operate more safely and effectively.’
The Wasp AE weighs 2.8lbs and can operate for up to 50 minutes at a range of up to five kilometres, delivering live, streaming colour and infrared video from its pan-tilt-zoom Mantis i22 AE gimbaled payload. Launched by hand and capable of landing on the ground or in fresh or salt water, the Wasp AE is designed to be portable and flexible for infantry, littoral or maritime reconnaissance operations.
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