Autonomous Group 2 eVTOL UAS ushers in a new era of battlefield adaptability and mission flexibility for mobility – sUAS News

AeroVironment (AV) has launched the P550™ Advanced Autonomous Group 2 eVTOL Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), designed to set a new standard for battlefield adaptability and operational readiness. Leveraging the Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) and AI-driven autonomy, the P550 is designed to enhance task forces to rapidly respond to evolving mission demands through rapid deployment, scalability, and superior situational awareness.

Unveiled at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) annual meeting, the P550’s all-electric powertrain delivers more than five hours of flight endurance and a multi-sensor payload capacity of up to 15 pounds. These durability and payload capabilities provide critical intelligence gathering, precision targeting, and force protection in dynamic and highly contested environments.

“Today’s warfighters need systems that can quickly adapt to fluid combat scenarios and deliver unparalleled reliability and flexibility,” said Trace Stevenson, AV’s senior vice president and general manager of Uncrewed Systems. “The P550 meets these requirements with an adaptable, field-reconfigurable design that allows rapid, on-the-fly adjustments to evolving operational requirements.”

At the core of the P550 is the MOSA framework, which allows for seamless integration with third-party payloads, data links, ground control systems and mission software. This open and scalable architecture not only ensures continuous upgrades of UAS, but also keeps pace with technological advancements at low cost and risk. The P550’s standard interfaces allow interoperability with a variety of ground control systems, providing operators with mission flexibility and compatibility across a variety of platforms.

Purpose-built for rapid deployment in any environment, the P550’s modular design features tool-less airframe assembly and hot-swappable batteries and multi-sensor payloads to ensure maximum operational readiness. For enhanced lethality, the UAS supports a variety of attack capabilities, including laser designation, sensor-gunner capabilities, and proven munitions. The modular communications architecture further improves operational resiliency by providing flexible datalink options and maintaining reliable performance even in complex and competitive environments.

The P550 integrates AV’s SPOTR-Edge™ Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) and AVACORE™ software suites for onboard edge computing. These advanced AI capabilities enable UAS to automatically detect and classify operationally relevant objects, from personnel and vehicles to aircraft and maritime vessels, day and night, ultimately improving situational awareness and tactical decision-making on the battlefield.

Building on AV’s 30-year legacy of providing reliable, combat-proven UAS, the P550 demonstrates our continued commitment to providing intelligent autonomous platforms that ensure operational superiority. The system’s modular, future-proof architecture allows for continuous evolution, ensuring it meets today’s battlefield requirements while preparing for tomorrow’s challenges.

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