Navy will buy up to 120 unmanned vehicles from AeroVironment

By Jordan Wolman / March 9, 2021 at 12:55 PM

The Navy intends to enter into a two-year contract with AeroVironment for a submarine-launched, small unmanned aerial vehicle, according to a March 9 notice.

The Navy is looking to procure a Blackwing 10C Electro-Optic and Infrared equipped UAV.

The notice states AeroVironment will be awarded the contract, since "no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements" and the company is the only "known responsible source" to address the request.

The Navy intends to procure up to 120 UAVs, with the ordering period set to begin this May and last until May 2023.

The procurement of these vehicles will support the Navy's Submarine-Launched Unmanned Aerial System (SLUAS) Program. Once procured and delivered, these vehicles will operate on various Navy submarine platforms during the SLUAS middle-tier acquisition program execution, expected to be completed in May 2023.

The notice notes that the Blackwing 10C UAVs have already been developed, tested and integrated with the rest of the SLUAS components and subsystems.

Interested parties can submit statements of capabilities and quotes so the Navy can consider conducting a competitive procurement process in the future, according to the notice.

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