AV Wins $117M US Army Deal for P550 Long-Range Reconnaissance Drones
California company Aerovironment (AV) has clinched a $117-million contract to deliver its P550 long-range reconnaissance uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) to the US Army.
Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with completion expected by July 2026.
Since the P550 was unveiled in October 2024, AV has been pitching the electric vertical take-off and landing UAV for the army’s long-range reconnaissance (LRR) program.
The initial batch, with an undisclosed quantity, was delivered in August 2025. It was followed by additional P550 orders in December.
The P550
Featuring modular, open systems architecture, the autonomous P550 can be rapidly reconfigured and fielded for various operations, including reconnaissance and strike missions.
It leverages artificial intelligence, as it is equipped with AV’s SPOTR-Edge Automatic Target Recognition and AVACORE software suite for onboard edge computing, enabling the drone to detect and classify objects under day and night conditions.
Falling under the Pentagon’s Group 2 UAS classification, the P550 has a gross take-off weight of 55 pounds (24.9 kilograms) and a maximum altitude of 3,500 feet (1,067 meters).
The drone can carry up to 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms) of payload and fly continuously for up to five hours on a single battery charge.
LRR Program
The US Army’s LRR program supports the Pentagon’s “Drone Dominance” initiative to rapidly acquire attritable small drones and equip maneuver battalion commanders with increased reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition capabilities.
Apart from AV’s P550, the service also selected Edge Autonomy’s VXE30 Stalker drone for the program.
