Puma LE – Long Endurance

At just 23.5 pounds, this ultra-lightweight Group 2 aircraft is launchable by hand or bungee and provides up to 6.5 hours flight endurance, delivering Group 2 capabilities in a Group 1 footprint while stowed efficiently in a two-case mission packout. Puma LE is All Environment and provides an operational range of 60 km in land and maritime environments when used with our Long-Range Tracking Antenna.

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The secondary payload bay offers dedicated power and Ethernet, providing 3.4 lb of payload capacity in addition to the integrated Mantis i45 gimbaled EO/IR sensor and NVG-visible laser illuminator for expanded mission capabilities. Its plug-and-play, interoperable LRU components can be shared across other Puma AE aircraft.

Puma LE is purpose-built for multi-mission operations with up to 5.5 pounds of total payload capacity. The aircraft’s ruggedized secondary payload bay enables the integration of third-party payloads with a dedicated power supply providing 18-24 volts at up to 5 amps, and an Ethernet connection port for payload communications. This capability provides the flexibility for operators to incorporate specialized payloads such as electronic warfare, RF emitter geolocation, laser designation, communications relay and others.

“Puma LE is the next generation of the combat-proven Puma AE small UAS, delivering immediate tactical ISR, extended endurance and a dedicated secondary payload bay to dramatically expand its mission capabilities,” said Rick Pedigo, vice president of sales and business development for AeroVironment. “With Puma LE, AeroVironment expands the envelope of small unmanned aircraft systems, and enables our customers to proceed with certainty in ever-changing operational environments.”

Puma LE can be operated manually or autonomously with AeroVironment’s common GCS. Puma LE utilizes plug and play, interoperable line-replaceable unit (LRU) components that can be shared with other Puma AE aircraft. This native compatibility reduces training and logistical impact for operators. In addition, current Puma AE customers can now optimize their fielded systems by purchasing Puma LE as an add-on aircraft and easily installing Puma AE LRU components. Multiple Puma LE system options provide the flexibility for customers to choose the right configuration based on mission requirements.

https://www.suasnews.com/2020/08/puma-le-long-endurance/ Read the original article