At AUVSI – AeroVironment,
Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) today announced that a recent outdoor test flight
of a solar-powered prototype version of the company’s proven Puma AE™
small unmanned aircraft system (UAS), operating with the company’s
newest long-endurance battery, lasted 9 hours, 11 minutes –
significantly longer than the flight endurance of small UAS being used
in the field today.
![AeroVironment's Puma AE unmanned aircraft system (UAS) (Photo: Business Wire)](http://mms.businesswire.com/media/20130812005332/en/378705/4/PumaAE_flight.jpg)
AeroVironment's Puma AE unmanned aircraft system (UAS) (Photo: Business Wire)
AeroVironment is working with Alta Devices, a Sunnyvale, Calif. company
that provides flexible, portable power that can be embedded into any
other material, in the development of the solar Puma AE.
“This is a critical milestone with far-reaching implications for the
many ways small UAS can benefit military, public safety and commercial
customers,” said Roy Minson, AeroVironment senior vice president and
general manager, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). “The solar Puma AE is
the latest example of AeroVironment’s longstanding commitment to deliver
important, innovative solutions that meet our customers’ needs.
“Our integration of this cutting-edge technology dramatically increases
Puma’s current flight endurance using a clean, renewable power source,”
Minson added. “This development can give Puma AE customers significantly
increased capabilities that approach those of the next class of UAS at a
much lower acquisition and operating cost, and with much greater
operational flexibility.” AeroVironment’s new long endurance battery
extends Puma AE’s non-solar endurance to more than three hours. This
means small UAS could be used for longer missions over greater distances
than previously possible.
Minson added that past solar solutions for powering small UAS were
either too heavy or did not produce enough power for long-range flight –
or both. “However,” he said, “the solar Puma AE technology can produce
enough power, while adding negligible weight, so that endurance is no
longer an issue for most customer missions.”
Using a proprietary and highly differentiated technology, Alta Devices
manufactures the world's thinnest and highest efficiency solar cells
using Gallium Arsenide. This technology significantly extends the
battery life of any application, in many cases eliminating the need to
recharge from the grid because it converts more light into electricity.
Solar material like that used in the development of the solar Puma AE
incorporates a thin, mobile power technology on a flexible substrate
that has been independently certified by the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory (NREL) as world-records for both single (28.8%) and dual
(30.8%) junction solar cells.
Puma AE is a flexible, efficient and rugged hand-launched workhorse for
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). This solar-power
enhancement makes it even more indispensable for U.S. and allied
military, as well as for domestic public safety applications, such as
firefighting, law enforcement, search and rescue, oil and gas field
monitoring, and other commercial needs.
The solar Puma AE configuration currently is in the research and
development phase. A production version is planned for early 2014.
The 13-pound Puma AE is fully waterproof, man-portable and can be
assembled in minutes, hand-launched, operated and recovered on sea or
land by a team of two people. It requires no infrastructure, such as
runways, launching pads or recovery devices. In addition, the system is
quiet and operates autonomously, providing persistent observation data.
Last month, AeroVironment received a “Restricted Category” rating for
its Puma AE small UAS from the Federal Aviation Administration. The
first-of-its-kind certificate permits operators to fly Puma AE for
commercial missions in regions of the Arctic.
About AeroVironment’s Family of Small UAS
RQ-11B
Raven®, RQ-12
Wasp AE™, RQ-20A
Puma™ and Shrike
VTOL™ comprise AeroVironment’s Family of Small Unmanned Aircraft
Systems. Operating with a common
ground control system (GCS), this Family of Systems provides
increased capability to the warfighter that can give ground commanders
the option of selecting the appropriate aircraft based on the type of
mission to be performed. This increased capability has the potential to
provide significant force protection and force multiplication benefits
to small tactical units and security personnel. AeroVironment provides
logistics services worldwide to ensure a consistently high level of
operational readiness and provides mission services for customers
requiring only the information its small UAS produce. AeroVironment has
delivered thousands of new and replacement small unmanned air vehicles
to customers within the United States and to more than twenty
international governments.
The Qube™
small UAS is tailored to search and rescue, first response, law
enforcement and other public safety missions. Small enough to fit easily
in the trunk of a car, the Qube system can be unpacked, assembled and
ready for flight in less than five minutes, giving the operator a
rapidly deployable eye in the sky at a fraction of the cost of manned
aircraft and large unmanned aircraft.
About AeroVironment, Inc.
AeroVironment is a technology solutions provider that designs, develops,
produces, operates and supports an advanced portfolio of Unmanned
Aircraft Systems (UAS) and electric transportation solutions.
Agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense and allied military services
use the company’s electric-powered, hand-launched
unmanned aircraft systems extensively to provide situational
awareness to tactical operating units through real-time, airborne
reconnaissance, surveillance and communication. Multiple government
agencies have helped to fund the development and demonstration of Global
Observer®, a hybrid-electric,
stratospheric UAS designed to provide affordable, persistent
reconnaissance and communication over any location on the globe. Switchblade™
is a tactical missile system designed to provide a rapid, lethal,
pinpoint precision strike capability with minimal collateral damage.
AeroVironment’s electric transportation solutions include a
comprehensive suite of electric
vehicle (EV) charging systems, installation and data services for
consumers, automakers, utilities and government agencies, power
cycling and test systems for EV developers and industrial
electric vehicle charging systems for commercial fleets. More
information about AeroVironment is available at www.avinc.com.
About Alta Devices
Alta Devices is (EM)POWERING THE UNPLUGGED WORLD™ by delivering the
world’s most efficient, thin and flexible mobile power technology.
Converting light into electricity, Alta's technology extends the energy
source of a system, and in many cases, completely cuts the traditional
power cord. The solution can be completely integrated into the final
system, and is ideal for use in unmanned systems, consumer electronics,
automotive, remote exploration, or anywhere size, weight, and mobility
matter. Alta Devices holds world records for energy conversion
efficiency, and has received funding from, Kleiner Perkins Caufield &
Byers, August Capital, Crosslink Capital, AIMCo, GE, Dow, and others.
The company is headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA. For more information,
visit http://www.altadevices.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking
statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. These statements are made on the basis of current
expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and
uncertainties, including, but not limited to, economic, competitive,
governmental and technological factors outside of our control, that may
cause our business, strategy or actual results to differ materially from
those expressed or implied. Factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from the forward-looking statements include, but are
not limited to, our ability to perform under existing contracts and
obtain additional contracts; changes in the regulatory environment; the
activities of competitors; failure of the markets in which we operate to
grow; failure to expand into new markets; failure to develop new
products or integrate new technology with current products; and general
economic and business conditions in the United States and elsewhere in
the world. For a further list and description of such risks and
uncertainties, see the reports we file with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. We do not intend, and undertake no obligation, to update any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
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