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Marines order Puma small UAS

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A U.S. Soldier of Bravo Company, 10th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division prepares to launch a RQ-20A Puma Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) while attending a training course for the RQ-20A Puma UAS during exercise Combined Resolve V at the U.S. Army’s Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, Oct. 23, 2015. Exercise Combined Resolve V is designed to exercise the U.S. Army’s regionally allocated force to the U.S. European Command area of responsibility with multinational training at all echelons. Approximately 4,600 participants from 13 NATO and European partner nations will participate. The exercise involves around 2,000 U.S. troops and 2,600 NATO and Partner for peace nations. Combined Resolve is a preplanned exercise that does not fall under Operation Atlantic resolve. This exercise will train participants to function together in a joint, multinational and integrated environment and train U.S. rotational forces to be more flexible, agile, and to better operate alongside our NATO Allies. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Brian Chaney/Released)

AeroVironment has been awarded a Marine Corps contract for RQ-20A AE Puma small unmanned aircraft systems.

The $13 million contract includes an undisclosed number of systems and spares packages. The number of UAVs ordered was not specified. But an AeroVironment news release said it received the order from ADS, Inc. on behalf of the Marine Corps through the Defense Logistics Agency’s Tailored Logistics Support (TLS) program. Delivery is scheduled over the 12 months.

The 13.5-pound Puma AE can operate for more than 210 minutes at a range of up to 15 kilometers.

About 

Michael Peck is a correspondent for Defense News and a columnist for the Center for European Policy Analysis. He holds an M.A. in political science from Rutgers University. Find him at theuncommondefense.com. His email is mikedefense1@gmail.com.