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| US Army to replace The Drone RQ-7 Shadow with FTUAS Jump 20 |
International Military - The US Army (US Army) will replace the AAI RQ-7 Shadow drone with the Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (FTUAS) Jump 20. This FTUAS will be developed by the US drone manufacturer, AeroVironment.
Currently a USD 9 million contract has been awarded by the US Army to AeroVironment to prototype the expected system. It said replacement Shadow drones should be able to be transported using a CH-47 Chinook helicopter. Another requirement is to be able to fly more than six hours and operate up to a distance of more than 100 km.
The most distinguishing thing, if the RQ-7 flies using a catapult system, then for Jump-20 the process of flying and landing is carried out vertically (VTOL) like a helicopter. With this contract, the US Army will get seven Jump 20 units.
The RQ-7 Shadow was introduced in 2002. It is a medium-sized drone with a range of 110 km (68 miles). The drones are intended for reconnaissance, target spotting, damage assessment, and other tasks.