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P550
AeroVironment
Not yet assessed
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P550
AeroVironmentThe P550 is an autonomous Group 2 eVTOL UAS from AeroVironment, designed for battlefield reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition. It features a Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA), AI-driven autonomy, payload capacity up to 15 lb, endurance up to 5 hours, and tool-less reconfiguration under 5 minutes.
Availability
Specification
- Group 2 eVTOL UAS
- Payload capacity up to 15 lb
- Endurance up to 5 hours on all-battery power
- Gross Take-Off Weight 55 lb
- Tool-less reconfiguration under 5 minutes
- Hot-swappable payloads and batteries
- Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA)
- AI-driven autonomy with SPOTR-Edge and AVACORE
- Supports multiple payload, radio, and power options
- Designed for reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition
Price
No public price — contact the supplier for a quote.
Good · Bad · Ugly
Evidence-graded claims from the AeroVironment deep report
LOCUST demonstrated automated safety shut-off validated for domestic U.S. airspace at White Sands with JIATF-401 and the FAA
A BusinessWire press release [13] — citing a joint demonstration with JIATF-401 (a U.S. government joint task force) and the FAA — independently corroborates that the safety shut-off capability was demonstrated in a government-supervised test; however, full operational certification and combat-readiness remain unconfirmed.
from AeroVironment deep report →AeroVironment won a $117.3M U.S. Army contract to deliver 82 P550 reconnaissance drones within approximately 2 months
Both an independent regional news outlet (al.com [11]) and a defense news site (TheDefenseWatch [14]) report the contract award and delivery timeline, corroborating the vendor announcement; the compressed 2-month delivery schedule is notable but not yet independently verified as completed.
from AeroVironment deep report →
LOCUST directed-energy system engages drone targets in 5–7 seconds at a cost of under $5–$10 per engagement
Both the engagement time and cost figures originate from vendor-adjacent or vendor-produced content (video summaries and a CEO conference statement [15][27]); no independent test report or government evaluation corroborates these specific performance or cost metrics, and the $5 vs. $10 discrepancy itself signals unverified sourcing.
from AeroVironment deep report →AeroVironment's systems have achieved 50,000+ deployments across 55+ countries
This figure appears only on AV's official homepage [1] with no independent audit, government procurement database, or third-party verification cited in the dossier; the number is plausible given the company's history but remains a self-reported marketing statistic.
from AeroVironment deep report →VAPOR CLE VTOL UAS achieves case-to-flight in approximately 2 minutes and is Arctic and maritime capable
The 2-minute setup time and environmental capability claims derive solely from AV's own press release [12]; the $14.6M U.S. Army production contract confirms procurement interest but no independent operational test or field report verifies the specific performance claims.
from AeroVironment deep report →
Switchblade loitering munitions are reliable and more capable than quadcopters, proven across 50,000+ deployments
Community defense forums (Reddit [34]) independently report lingering munition reliability issues and bomb-attachment reliability problems on aircraft pylons; the vendor's deployment count does not address failure rates, and no independent reliability assessment is cited in the dossier.
from AeroVironment deep report →
