Kristen Smith 
- The Army has awarded AeroVironment a $117 million contract for P550 reconnaissance drone systems
- AV’s UAS will support battalion-level intelligence, surveillance and target acquisition missions
- The contract will expand the Army’s long-range unmanned aircraft capabilities
AeroVironment has secured a $117.3 million U.S. Army contract to provide 82 units of its P550 unmanned aircraft system for reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition missions at the battalion level.
Work locations and funding will be determined with individual orders under the contract, which is managed by Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. The period of performance is expected to conclude in July.
Ten proposals were received for the UAS requirement through an online solicitation process.
The growing role of unmanned and emerging technologies in Army operations will be a topic of discussion at the 2026 Army Summit, hosted by the Potomac Officers Club on June 18. The event will explore how Army leaders are advancing modernization initiatives and integrating new capabilities to support future operational requirements and the Army 2030 objectives. Register now!
What Is the P550?
The P550 is AeroVironment’s Group 2 electric vertical takeoff and landing UAS developed for long-range reconnaissance and multi-mission operations.
The system entered Army service in 2025 under the Long-Range Reconnaissance program supporting Transformation in Contact brigades. AeroVironment said the system is designed for rapid deployment and can support intelligence, surveillance and strike missions through a modular architecture that enables operators to reconfigure payloads for changing mission requirements.
How Is AeroVironment Expanding the P550 Program?
In January, AeroVironment partnered with Parry Labs to integrate mission system technologies and open architecture software capabilities into the P550 platform 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.
The latest award builds on AeroVironment’s broader portfolio of Army unmanned systems programs. In November 2025, the company received an $874.3 million contract to provide Puma and Raven UAS, training and related support for foreign military sales customers.
