The Air Force is buying AEVEX drones that strike without GPS
AEVEX, public since April, won a $50 million Air Force contract for a long-range strike drone built to fly and hit without satellite navigation.
AEVEX, public since April, won a $50 million Air Force contract for a long-range strike drone built to fly and hit without satellite navigation.
AEVEX Corp. won a $50 million U.S. Air Force contract to keep producing its long-range precision strike drone, the company said June 30, Investing.com reported. The award funds $27 million up front.
The platform is built for contested, GPS-denied airspace. AEVEX did not name it, but the published specs match its Disruptor: endurance beyond 14 hours, range up to 1,400 kilometers, a 22.6-kilogram payload, Airforce Technology detailed. It navigates by reading ground features through onboard vision and autonomy, then switches to alternative positioning, navigation, and timing when GPS is jammed or spoofed.
Jamming runs constant along the Ukraine front, where satellite-guided weapons routinely drift or fail. AEVEX builds for that condition. The company already supplies the U.S. Army its smaller Atlas drone, which carries roughly 7.5 pounds of explosives, the San Diego Business Journal noted, and earlier took an $18.5 million Air Force award for autonomous one-way attack drones meant for GPS-denied missions, per the Royal Australian Air Force's Runway.
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Subscribe Free →AEVEX (NYSE: AVEX) went public in April, raising $320 million, and its shares rose 11% after the award, Benzinga reported. The contract funds production, not a prototype, with $27 million released now and the balance tied to further orders.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did AEVEX win?
A $50 million U.S. Air Force contract, with $27 million funded up front, to continue producing its long-range precision strike drone, per Investing.com.
Why does navigating without GPS matter?
Jamming is the default condition on the Ukraine front, where satellite-guided weapons drift or fail. A drone that holds course without GPS stays effective where others do not.
Which platform does the contract cover?
AEVEX did not name it, but the public specifications match its Disruptor: more than 14 hours of endurance, a range up to 1,400 kilometers, and a 22.6-kilogram payload, per Airforce Technology.
How does the drone navigate when GPS is denied?
It uses visual navigation and onboard autonomy that read ground features to fix position, plus alternative positioning, navigation, and timing, per Airforce Technology.
What else does AEVEX build for the U.S. military?
It holds a U.S. Army contract for its smaller Atlas drone, per the San Diego Business Journal, and an earlier $18.5 million Air Force award for autonomous one-way attack drones, per the Royal Australian Air Force's Runway.
How did AEVEX stock react?
Shares of AEVEX (NYSE: AVEX) rose 11% on the news. The company went public in April, raising $320 million, per Benzinga.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.
Marcus Schuler
Marcus Schuler edits BattlePolicy, a daily defense-technology brief connecting the companies and capabilities behind modern war to the contest among Europe, the US, Russia, and China.