AeroVironment’s Puma Long Endurance (LE) unmanned aircraft is now capable of navigating safely in GPS-denied environments, overcoming one of the most common battlefield challenges today. The newest upgrade gives the compact drone more resilience against electronic warfare disruptions, including deliberate GPS jamming attempts.
The company has integrated a new Visual Navigation System (VNS) into the platform, enabling the drone to maintain its planned route even without satellite connectivity. This system allows the aircraft to continue autonomous operations where GPS access becomes unreliable or completely unavailable, improving mission reliability in contested airspace.
The VNS package combines downward-looking cameras, environmental sensors, and advanced onboard processing to generate a detailed and real-time overview of the surrounding terrain. By continuously mapping flight paths and ground features, the Puma LE can make precise navigation decisions independently, ensuring stable flight performance in even the most hostile electronic warfare zones.
This enhancement is expected to significantly upgrade reconnaissance and surveillance missions by allowing operators to deploy the Puma LE in areas previously considered unreachable due to GPS interference threats.
