AeroVironment to supply jam-resistant attack drones to US Army

The U.S. Army has awarded AeroVironment a $17.58 million contract to supply the Red Dragon, a jam-resistant, one-way attack drone designed for blackout warfare environments where GPS and radio signals are unreliable or jammed. The Red Dragon is a hybrid loitering munition and autonomous strike drone capable of long-range precision strikes (up to 248 miles) and rapid deployment, with small teams able to launch up to five drones per minute after setup in under 10 minutes. Its onboard autonomy and digital scene matching allow it to navigate and classify targets independently, requiring human approval only at the final strike phase, making it highly effective in high-interference battlefields. Weighing 45 pounds with an 11.8-foot wingspan, the electric-powered drone carries a 10 kg modular payload bay that can be equipped with a five-pound explosively formed penetrator warhead, enabling infantry to engage hardened vehicles and light armor at ranges traditionally requiring heavy artillery or airstrikes