AeroVironment, Inc.
provided company-owned, company-operated (COCO) maritime intelligence, security and reconnaissance (ISR) services in assistance of the U.S.
Navys 4th Fleet as part of Operation Southern Spear.AVs JUMP 20 medium umanned aircraft system (MUAS) was deployed across the Caribbean and southern Atlantic area, offering relentless ISR where it actively tracked prospective illicit activities within the 4th Fleets jurisdiction.JUMP 20 is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) MUAS developed for quick implementation, with completely hands-free autonomous launch and recovery capabilities on moving vesselseven in difficult maritime conditions, consisting of sea state level 5 and winds going beyond 20 knots.Advancing and refining the JUMP 20 maritime offering has been a significant focus and investment for AV during the previous 18 months, said Shane Hastings, AVs vice president and basic supervisor of medium UAS.
This contract represented the culmination of that work and marked the first of what we hope are many functional maritime implementations of the JUMP 20.
What sets the JUMP 20 apart from other Group 3 UAS in its class is its remarkable payload capacity, unequaled modularity and extraordinary endurance all delivered without the need for launch or recovery devices making it possible for totally hands-free operations and maximizing functional safety.According to the Navy, Operation Southern Spear was a successful operation created to advance the Navys Hybrid Fleet Campaign, operationalizing Robotic and Autonomous Systems (RAS) through manned-unmanned teaming.
In addition to meeting functional objectives, this operation transitioned from short-duration experimentation into long-duration operations helping in the development of important techniques and procedures developed to advance the international combination of RAS into the maritime environment.
AVs JUMP 20 worked as an essential ISR property, running alongside joint and interagency assets in the area.JUMP 20 has actually shown its dependability with over 130,000 land-based flight hours supporting U.S.
Special Operations Command battle deployments.
JUMP 20s broadened operations into these shipboard environments further extends its reach, enabling multi-mission multi-domain abilities on a global scale, any place and whenever needed.AVs JUMP 20 was ship-based and deployed for roughly 6 months during Operation Southern Spear under the Monitoring, Analysis, Reconnaissance, Logistics, Intelligence, and Network Services (MARLINS) Task Order as a subcontractor under the prime contractor, SMX.Source: AeroVironment, Inc.