On October 22, AeroVironment (AV) ogłoszony that it has been selected to deliver the U.S. Army’s Next-Generation Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Missile (NGCM) and awarded a $95.9 million contract under the Long-Range Kinetic Interceptor (LRKI) program.

The award was made through the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center Aviation & Missile Technology Consortium.

As part of this program, AV will manufacture and deliver its Freedom Eagle (FE-1) kinetic C-UAS missile, designed to counter Groups 2 and 3 UAS while maintaining capability against Group 1 drones, fixed-wing, and rotary-wing aircraft. FE-1 offers extended range, increased lethality, and rapid launch capabilities.

Jimmy Jenkins, Executive Vice President of AV’s Precision Strike and Defense Systems Group, said:

“FE-1 strengthens our nation’s air defense arsenal by providing an urgently needed kinetic C-UAS solution–built to fill the gaps in today’s defense capabilities and meet the adversarial threats of tomorrow. This selection by the U.S. Army is a testament to AV’s intentional investments, unmatched agility and technical expertise, and unwavering commitment to our nation’s national security priorities. We are quickly scaling production to deliver FE-1 to the frontlines, where they’ll provide critical warfighter protection and inform our development for full-rate manufacturing.”

Development Milestones

FE-1 has completed several key tests, including:

  • Live-fire demonstration of its dual-thrust solid rocket motor
  • Controlled Test Vehicle (CTV) launches
  • Warhead performance trials

These milestones indicate readiness for operational evaluation and reduced technical risk.

Daniel Noland, Senior Director of Strategic Capture for AV, added:

“FE-1 is more than just a missile. It’s a transformative capability for next-generation air and missile defense. Our team–side by side with our industry partners and U.S. Army customers–has put in long hours in the lab and on the range because they believed in the mission: to rapidly develop the technology our warfighters need to tackle our nation’s toughest aerial threats. We’re ready to transition this disruptive technology from research and development to the battlefield and focused on ramping up manufacturing to deliver with scale and speed.”

 Industry Partnerships

To accelerate delivery, AV partnered with Applied Systems Engineering Inc. (ASEI) and other industry specialists. FE-1 complements AV’s existing C-UAS portfolio, which includes Directed Energy, Radio Frequency, and Electronic Warfare systems.

Źródło zdjęcia: AV