AeroVironment, Inc., a global leader in intelligent, multi-domain robotic systems, today announced it was selected by the United States Army on Feb. 28, 2023, to move forward in the Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (FTUAS) program.

AeroVironment's JUMP 20 will compete with several other vendors in the FTUAS Increment 2 multi-phased effort which will allow the Army to select the best system for its needs. Ultimately, FTUAS Increment 2 aircraft will be fielded to Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) throughout the Army, replacing the long-serving RQ-7B Shadow UAS.

During the early stages of what would become the U.S. Army's FTUAS program, AeroVironment's JUMP 20 demonstrated superior competitive performance and was awarded the FTUAS Increment 1 contract to develop a prototype system to field to one Brigade Combat Team (BCT). Its success throughout the demonstrations led to AeroVironment's contract award for FTUAS Increment 0, in which the U.S. Army fielded the JUMP 20 into an additional Army BCT within the United States Army Europe. AeroVironment is the only company awarded the FTUAS contract for all three program increments.

“The AeroVironment JUMP 20 is the most mature and capable solution in its class,” said Gorik Hossepian, AeroVironment's vice president and product line general manager for medium unmanned aircraft systems. “We will continue to work closely with the U.S. Army to ensure we meet their performance needs both today for an all-environment aircraft system and in the future as requirements evolve to meet changing battlefield demands.”