Digital Wasp AE SUAS Introduced

AeroVironment has introduced the Wasp small unmanned aircraft system (SUAS) and announced that it has been accepted by the US Air Force (USAF) for inclusion in its Battlefield Air Targeting Micro Air Vehicle (BATMAV) programme. Inclusion into the BATMAV programme enabled the USAF to place an order for Wasp AE systems valued at $2,447,949.

According to AeroVironment, the USAF conducted rigorous engineering and user assessments of Wasp AE over a one-year period to ensure compliance with the requirements of the BATMAV programme. 

The Wasp AE represents the continuing evolution of the Wasp small UAS, which was previously adopted by the USAF and Marine Corps for small unit tactical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). Designed with AeroVironment’s digital data link, Wasp AE is interoperable with the company’s digital Puma, Raven, Shrike VTOL and portable ground control station, and is capable of encrypted communication, beyond line-of-sight operation and voice, video, text and data relay. 

The company said that the Wasp AE also incorporates the smallest of AeroVironment’s Mantis suite of miniature gimbaled payloads, the 275 gram Mantis i22 AE, giving operators both colour and infrared video imagery from a single sensor package. Weighing 2.8 pounds (1.3 kilograms), the Wasp AE air vehicle is designed for ground and water landing, making it suitable for both land and maritime missions, and is capable of 20 percent greater flight duration than the prior Wasp.