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AeroVironment to supply Egypt with unmanned aerial systems

By James LaPorta
Corporal Logan Johnson of 2nd Intelligence Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force, prepares to launch a RQ-20B Puma during unmanned aerial vehicle training at Camp Lejeune, N.C., March 9, 2018. Johnson was participating in an UAV training to increase proficiency in operating UAVs. Photo by Lance Cpl. Samuel Lyden/U.S. Marine Corps
Corporal Logan Johnson of 2nd Intelligence Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force, prepares to launch a RQ-20B Puma during unmanned aerial vehicle training at Camp Lejeune, N.C., March 9, 2018. Johnson was participating in an UAV training to increase proficiency in operating UAVs. Photo by Lance Cpl. Samuel Lyden/U.S. Marine Corps

March 19 (UPI) -- AeroVironment Inc. has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army to support a foreign military sale of unmanned aerial vehicles to Egypt.

The deal, announced Friday by the Department of Defense, is valued at more than $9 million under the terms of a firm-fixed-price foreign military sales contract.

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The agreement between the U.S. Army and AeroVironment Inc., a small business out of Simi Valley, Calif., enables the company to provide Egypt with a RQ-20B Puma AE II M3/M4 systems and support, the Pentagon said.

The RQ-20B Puma AE, is a small unmanned aircraft system designed for land-based and maritime operations, according to AeroVironment Inc. The UAS is equipped with an electro-optical and infrared camera with illuminator.

The primary mission of the RQ-20B Puma AE is to provide intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting data. Currently, the UAS has a range of around 12 miles, operating at 500 feet, for around three hours.

Work on the contract will occur in Monrovia, Calif., and is expected to be complete by September 2020.

The total amount of the contract will be obligated to AeroVironment Inc., at time of award from U.S. Army fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance funds, according to the Defense Department.

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