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AeroVironment has been awarded a $14.6 million production contract by the U.S. Army to provide the VAPOR Compact Long Endurance unmanned aircraft system for the Medium Range Reconnaissance initiative.
This award is part of the Company-Level Directed Requirement Small Uncrewed Aircraft System, Tranche 2. The program is designed to deliver commercially available capabilities to Brigade Combat Teams to meet immediate operational needs. By emphasizing the unmanned aircraft as a complete system, this approach enables the use of modular, reconfigurable, and attritable payloads for reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition while enhancing soldier-driven experimentation.
The VAPOR CLE is an all-electric helicopter platform featuring vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. Engineered for demanding missions, it is designed to operate across austere environments, including Arctic terrain and contested maritime conditions. The system features a modular open architecture and a multi-sensor payload bay, making it a versatile option for small vertical takeoff and landing operations.
“Being selected for the Company-Level Directed Requirement validates VAPOR CLE’s performance, adaptability, and mission value,” said Jason Hendrix, Vice President and General Manager of SUAS at AeroVironment. “This award reflects AV’s commitment to delivering operationally relevant, rapidly deployable solutions that meet the Army’s urgent needs and evolving mission requirements.”
The platform is built for portability and speed, utilizing a folding airframe and a compact pack-out system that allows for a case-to-flight transition in as little as two minutes. Ruggedized for extreme weather and harsh sea states, the VAPOR CLE provides up to two hours of endurance and can carry up to 24 pounds of payload or lethal munitions, outperforming other all-electric quadcopters and competing helicopter systems in its class.
