AeroVironment has been selected to supply the U.S. Army’s Next-Generation Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Missile and was awarded a $95.9 million contract under the Long-Range Kinetic Interceptor program, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. Under the contract, AeroVironment will manufacture and deliver its Freedom Eagle, referred to as FE-1.
The award was made through the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center and the Aviation & Missile Technology Consortium. FE-1 is being positioned as a kinetic option to engage Group 2 and Group 3 unmanned aircraft systems while retaining some capability against Group 1 UAS and manned fixed-wing and rotary aircraft.
According to the release, FE-1 has completed several development milestones including a live-fire test of its dual-thrust solid rocket motor, controlled test vehicle launches and warhead tests. The company described these events as evidence of the system’s technical maturity and reduced development risk ahead of fielding.
AeroVironment said it developed a supply and delivery team that includes Applied Systems Engineering Inc. and other industry partners to support rapid production and deployment.
“FE-1 strengthens our nation’s air defense arsenal by providing an urgently needed kinetic C-UAS solution–built to fill the gaps in today’s defense capabilities and meet the adversarial threats of tomorrow,” said Jimmy Jenkins, Executive Vice President of AV’s Precision Strike and Defense Systems Group. “This selection by the U.S. Army is a testament to AV’s intentional investments, unmatched agility and technical expertise, and unwavering commitment to our nation’s national security priorities. We are quickly scaling production to deliver FE-1 to the frontlines, where they’ll provide critical warfighter protection and inform our development for full-rate manufacturing.”
“FE-1 is more than just a missile. It's a transformative capability for next-generation air and missile defense,” said Daniel Noland, Senior Director of Strategic Capture for AV. “Our team–side by side with our industry partners and U.S. Army customers–has put in long hours in the lab and on the range because they believed in the mission: to rapidly develop the technology our warfighters need to tackle our nation’s toughest aerial threats. We’re ready to transition this disruptive technology from research and development to the battlefield and focused on ramping up manufacturing to deliver with scale and speed.”
AeroVironment already markets a range of C-UAS and related systems including directed energy, radio-frequency and electronic warfare options as well as loitering munitions. FE-1 will join that portfolio as a kinetic interceptor intended for longer-range engagements under the LRKI program.
