AV’s JUMP 20 Medium UAS Supports U.S. Navy’s 4th Fleet During Operation Southern Spear

AeroVironment, Inc. (“AV”) (NASDAQ: AVAV) delivered company-owned, company-operated (COCO) maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) services in support of the U.S. Navy’s 4^th Fleet as part of Operation Southern Spear. AV’s JUMP® 20 medium uncrewed aircraft system (MUAS) was deployed across the Caribbean and southern Atlantic region, providing persistent ISR where it actively tracked potential illicit activities within the 4^th Fleet’s jurisdiction.

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JUMP 20 executes a seamless landing on a moving ship (Photo: AV)

JUMP 20 is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) MUAS designed for rapid deployment, with fully hands-free autonomous launch and recovery capabilities on moving vessels—even in challenging maritime conditions, including sea state level 5 and winds exceeding 20 knots.

“Advancing and refining the JUMP 20 maritime offering has been a major focus and investment for AV during the past 18 months,” said Shane Hastings, AV’s vice president and general manager of medium UAS. “This contract represented the culmination of that work and marked the first of what we hope are many operational maritime deployments of the JUMP 20. What sets the JUMP 20 apart from other Group 3 UAS in its class is its superior payload capacity, unmatched modularity and exceptional endurance – all delivered without the need for launch or recovery equipment enabling fully hands-free operations and maximizing operational safety.”

According to the Navy, “Operation Southern Spear was a successful operation designed to advance the Navy’s Hybrid Fleet Campaign, operationalizing Robotic and Autonomous Systems (RAS) through manned-unmanned teaming. In addition to meeting operational objectives, this operation transitioned from short-duration experimentation into long-duration operations aiding in the development of critical techniques and procedures designed to advance the global integration of RAS into the maritime environment. AV’s JUMP 20 served as a key ISR asset, operating alongside joint and interagency assets in the area.”

JUMP 20 has proven its reliability with over 130,000 land-based flight hours supporting U.S. Special Operations Command combat deployments. JUMP 20’s expanded operations into these shipboard environments further extends its reach, enabling multi-mission multi-domain capabilities on a global scale, wherever and whenever needed.

AV’s JUMP 20 was ship-based and deployed for approximately six months during Operation Southern Spear under the Monitoring, Analysis, Reconnaissance, Logistics, Intelligence, and Network Services (MARLINS) Task Order as a subcontractor under the prime contractor, SMX.

ABOUT AEROVIRONMENT, INC.

AeroVironment (“AV”) (NASDAQ: AVAV) is a defense technology leader delivering integrated capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. The company develops and deploys autonomous systems, precision strike systems, counter-UAS technologies, space-based platforms, directed energy systems, and cyber and electronic warfare capabilities—built to meet the mission needs of today’s warfighter and tomorrow’s conflicts. With a national manufacturing footprint and a deep innovation pipeline, AV delivers proven systems and future-defining capabilities with speed, scale, and operational relevance.

For more information visit: www.avinc.com

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Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are made on the basis of current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental and technological factors outside of our control, that may cause our business, strategy or actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, our ability to perform under existing contracts and obtain additional contracts; changes in the regulatory environment; the activities of competitors; failure of the markets in which we operate to grow; failure to expand into new markets; failure to develop new products or integrate new technology with current products; and general economic and business conditions in the United States and elsewhere in the world. For a further list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see the reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We do not intend, and undertake no obligation, to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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What sets the JUMP 20 apart from other Group 3 UAS in its class is its superior payload capacity, unmatched modularity and exceptional endurance – all delivered without the need for launch or recovery equipment.