AeroVironment Inc. has secured a $117 million contract to supply its P550 long-range reconnaissance uncrewed aerial vehicles to the US Army.
The agreement allows funding and work locations to be assigned per order, with overall completion targeted for July 23, 2026. Since unveiling the P550 in October 2024, the company has promoted the electric vertical take-off and landing platform for the Army’s long-range reconnaissance (LRR) program. Initial deliveries began in August 2025, followed by additional orders in December.
The P550 features a modular open-systems architecture, enabling rapid reconfiguration for missions ranging from reconnaissance to precision strike. It integrates artificial intelligence through AV’s SPOTR-Edge automatic target recognition and AVACORE edge computing suite, allowing detection and classification of targets in both day and night conditions.
Classified under the Pentagon’s Group 2 UAS category, the drone has a maximum takeoff weight of 55 pounds and operates up to 3,500 feet in altitude. It can carry payloads of up to 15 pounds and remain airborne for up to five hours on a single charge.
The LRR program supports the Pentagon’s “Drone Dominance” initiative, aimed at equipping maneuver units with enhanced reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition capabilities. Alongside the P550, the Army has also selected the VXE30 Stalker drone from Edge Autonomy.
