- AeroVironment will deliver 82 P550 eVTOL drones to the U.S. Army under a $117.3 million contract
- The award marks the system’s first full-rate procurement for the Army’s Battalion Reconnaissance effort
- The autonomous Group 2 aircraft supports long-range reconnaissance and multi-domain missions
AeroVironment has secured a $117.3 million U.S. Army contract to deliver P550 electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVTOL, unmanned aerial systems for long-range reconnaissance missions.
What Does the Aerovironment Contract Cover?
The Arlington, Virginia-based defense technology company said Monday it will provide 82 P550 eVTOL UAS in support of the Army’s Battalion Reconnaissance effort, marking the system’s first full-rate procurement. The contract was issued under a basic ordering agreement, following a competitive call for solutions through the Army’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Marketplace initiative.
Wahid Nawabi, chairman, president and CEO of AeroVironment, said the P550 enables maneuver forces to reconfigure and extend their reach in contested environments.
“In today’s battlespace, adaptability is no longer an advantage, it’s a requirement,” the 2026 Wash100 Award winner said.
What Capabilities Does the P550 Provide?
The autonomous Group 2 eVTOL system can carry multi-sensor payloads weighing up to 15 pounds and has up to five hours of battery-powered endurance. The P550 supports precision strike, electronic warfare, communications relay missions and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations in air, ground and maritime domains.
AV said the P550’s modular open systems approach allows integration of third-party payloads, datalinks and mission planning software. The company also said operators can reconfigure the system in under five minutes and swap payloads and batteries without tools.
How Has AeroVironment Expanded the P550 Program?
The full-rate procurement builds on earlier efforts to expand the P550’s mission systems and open architecture capabilities. In January, AeroVironment partnered with Parry Labs to integrate mission system technologies and open architecture software capabilities into the P550 as part of the Army’s long-range reconnaissance effort. Under the collaboration, Parry Labs is incorporating its STRATIA platform and digital engineering capabilities to support command and control, autonomy and artificial intelligence applications.
