AeroVironment [AVAV] has received a $5.3 million contract from Customs and Border Protection to provide the Border Patrol with a hand-launched, fixed-wing unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for test and evaluation purposes along portions of the southern border.
AeroVironment says it received the contract in August and will deliver the Puma 3 AE small UAS (sUAS) system by Jan. 2020. The company says the award builds on the Border Patrol’s ongoing use of Puma AE UAS systems.
“Fixed-wing sUAS such as the Puma 3 AE provide extended duration capability which are a vital tool for Border Patrol agents operating in remote and rugged terrain along the border,” a CBP spokesperson tells HSR. “Fixed-wing solutions fill a capability gap which is not solely met by vertical take-off-and-landing sUAS, which are already deployed to the U.S. border.”
CBP in Oct. 2018 established an sUAS program of record after evaluating different drones. In addition to the Puma 3, the agency has acquired the Indago 3 and Skyraider sUAS quadcopter VTOL systems supplied by
Lockheed Martin [LMT] and FLIR Systems [FLIR] respectively for Border Patrol operations.
The man-portable Puma 3 AE can be launched anywhere anytime, fly for hours, and doesn’t require a runway or any launch device, AeroVironment says. The system includes sensors for day, night and low light operations in extreme environments can be set up for autonomous or manual navigation to provide real-time spot surveillance through the company’s common ground control system.
The Puma 3 AE can provide “cursor-on-target data Tactical Awareness Kit devices” to agents to improve their situational awareness, the CBP spokesperson said. The devices allow the agents to share information in real-time, the spokesperson added.
“Operating on the nation’s front line, U.S. Border Patrol agents deploy the AeroVironment Puma system day or night from a safe distance to scan a border area for activity and then use that information to respond more quickly, more stealthily and with less risk,” says Rick Pedigo, vice president of Business Development at AeroVironment. “Puma takes on the tougher missions in treacherous and dangerous terrain and keep border agents out of harm’s way. Border Patrol agents pack the system on their vehicles, allowing them to gain an eyes-in-the-sky advantage at a moment’s notice.”
The company says the Puma 3 AE will also be used for humanitarian missions such as helping to locate individuals in need in remote border areas and responding to natural disasters.
CBP plans to continue to assess fixed-wing sUAS.
“The sUAS program will continue to assess the maturing of fixed-wing capabilities across industry to procure and deploy the most operationally and cost-effective systems that meet U.S. Border Patrol operational requirements and enhance situational awareness,” the spokesperson said.