The US Army has awarded a $117.3m contract to AeroVironment for the delivery of its P550 electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) uncrewed aerial systems (UAS).
The award, issued under a Basic Ordering Agreement through the Army’s Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Marketplace initiative, forms part of the service’s Long Range Reconnaissance programme to enhance intelligence and operational flexibility in modern combat environments.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Under the contract, AeroVironment will deliver 82 P550 uncrewed aircraft systems in support of the US Army’s Battalion Reconnaissance effort.
According to the company, this procurement marks the first full-rate order for the P550 platform and reflects the Army’s strategy to rapidly adopt commercially developed technologies that support long-range surveillance, autonomous operations, and distributed mission execution.
The P550 is categorised as a Group 2 eVTOL UAS and features a modular open systems architecture, which allows integration with third-party payloads, data links, and mission planning software.
The aircraft can carry multi-sensor payloads up to 15 pounds (lbs), with options for enhanced lethality, and operates for up to five hours on battery power.
The system supports multiple mission types including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), precision strike, electronic warfare (EW), and communications relay across air, ground, and maritime domains.
According to AeroVironment, the P550 can be reconfigured at the field level in less than five minutes, enabling operators to change payloads and batteries without tools. This capability is intended to reduce operator workload and adapt quickly to evolving requirements.
AeroVironment chairman, president and CEO Wahid Nawabi said: “In today’s battlespace, adaptability is no longer an advantage, it’s a requirement. The P550 gives manoeuvre forces the ability to rapidly reconfigure, extend their reach, and deliver effects across domains, all while operating in contested environments where speed and autonomy are decisive.”
Earlier this year, AeroVironment secured a $186m delivery order from the US Army for its Switchblade 600 Block 2 and Switchblade 300 Block 20 explosively formed penetrator (EFP) loitering munition systems.
