U.S. Army will abandon RQ-7B Shadow drones in favor of JUMP 20 tactical drones

The U.S. Army plans to receive the JUMP 20 tactical drones.

What we know

The manufacturer of the JUMP 20 drones is Aero Vironment. It also produces Switchblade 300 / 600 / Blackwing (without a warhead), Puma, Wasp, Raven, VAPOR and Quantum Recon. The contract to produce the Army's first unmanned aerial system was $8 million and will include six drones, ground-based data terminals and control stations.

The JUMP 20 tactical UAVs will replace the RQ-7B Shadow drones. The U.S. Army began considering phasing out Textron drones back in 2018. The RQ-7B Shadow RQ-7B drones are very popular, but have drawbacks: high noise levels during operation, a high accident rate and difficulty in deployment.

The JUMP 20 is made according to the aircraft scheme, but takes off and lands vertically. The VTOL drone is equipped with a 190 cm3 engine, has a takeoff weight of nearly 100 kg, a 5.7 m wingspan, and can carry a payload of about 14 kg. It has a maximum flight time of 14 hours and a range of 185 km from the launch point. The JUMP 20 can also climb to an altitude of up to 5.1 km.

Source: AeroVironment

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