AeroVironment Awarded $117.3 Million U.S. Army Contract for P550 Drone System
Photo: AeroVironment's P550 unmanned aircraft system • Photo Courtesy of AeroVironment
AeroVironment has received a $117.3 million U.S. Army contract to supply 82 P550 unmanned aircraft systems for the Army's Long Range Reconnaissance program.
Technology News
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Technology News •
ARLINGTON, Va., July 20, 2026, (TECH INFO SCENE) — AeroVironment has been awarded a $117.3 million production contract by the U.S. Army to supply its P550 electric vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aircraft system for the Army's Long Range Reconnaissance program.
Technology Blog
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Technology Blog •
The contract calls for the delivery of 82 P550 unmanned aircraft systems as part of the Army's Battalion Reconnaissance effort and represents the initial full-rate procurement of the platform.
The award was issued through the U.S. Army's Unmanned Aircraft Systems Marketplace initiative under a competitive Call for Solutions process.
The P550 is an autonomous Group 2 unmanned aircraft system designed with a modular open systems architecture that allows operators to integrate third-party payloads, communications systems and mission planning software.
The platform can carry payloads of up to 15 pounds, operate for up to five hours on battery power and support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, precision strike, electronic warfare and communications relay missions. According to the company, operators can reconfigure the aircraft in less than five minutes by changing payloads and batteries without tools.
“In today’s battlespace, adaptability is no longer an advantage, it’s a requirement. The P550 gives maneuver 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,” said Wahid Nawabi, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of AeroVironment.
“What operators consistently tell us is that they need systems that can adapt at the speed of the mission, not hours or days later. AV’s P550 delivers that advantage, enabling units to reconfigure in minutes. It reduces the burden on operators while expanding what a single platform can achieve,” said Trace Stevenson, President of Autonomous Systems at AeroVironment.
AeroVironment develops autonomous systems and defense technologies for air, land, sea, space and cyber operations, including unmanned aircraft systems, loitering munitions, counter-drone technologies and electronic warfare platforms.
For more information, visit www.avinc.com.
Source: AeroVironment
