AeroVironment launches new UAV recovery system for ships

[Thunder Bolt]

Key Points

• The recovery system and the newly designated RQ-20B are undergoing at-sea tests
• Upgrades to the Puma AE include an improved battery for longer endurance

The US Navy (USN) is testing a new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) recovery system aboard the Raleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Stout (DDG 55) that will enable the ship to more easily use AeroVironment's Block 2 Puma AE.

AeroVironment's precision recovery system, which resembles a volleyball net, is set up on the aft of Stout . It is stored and carried on board in a couple of Pelican cases and can be easily set up and operated by the crew, which means it requires no contractor support to set up, Dave Sharpin, vice-president of business development UAS business for AeroVironment, told IHS Jane's on 11 August.

"We wanted to make it tactical and simple for the operator," he said.

The recovery system uses differential GPS to guide the UAV into the net. An antenna that comes with the recovery system provides the radio frequency solution, Sharpin said.

The 14 lb (6.35 kg) Puma AE can be easily removed from the net, have its battery replaced, and relaunched for a quick return to operations, he added.

Stout , which is deployed to the Persian Gulf region, has been testing the UAV and the recovery system since the June-July time frame. Those demonstrations are expected to run through the remainder of 2016.

The Puma AE is also being deployed from USN patrol craft, Sharpin added.

Along with the new recovery system, the US Department of Defense gave the Block 2 Puma AE a new designation: RQ-20B.

The Puma AE is typically hand launched, although it does come with a launcher, Sharpin noted.

When the UAV returns to the ship it is autonomously guided into the net.

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