AeroVironment Puma 3 AE Specs and Published Range Tiers

What AeroVironment Publishes for the Puma 3 AE

AeroVironment rates the Puma 3 AE for up to 3 hours of endurance, a 20 km standard range and a weight of 15.4 lb (7 kg). The aircraft has a 9.2 ft (2.8 m) wingspan and a 4.6 ft (1.4 m) length. The Puma 3 AE carries 4 lb (1.8 kg) of payload, or 6.5 lb (2.9 kg) with AeroVironment's Heavy Lift Software.

Range comes in three published tiers. The standard figure is 12.4 mi (20 km), adding ERA raises it to 24.8 mi (40 km), and the long-range tracking antenna (LRTA) raises it to 37.3 mi (60 km). AeroVironment states that telemetry and control reach up to about 60 km (about 37 mi) with the LRTA fitted.

The Puma 3 AE launches by hand, by bungee or from a rail, and AeroVironment says it needs no runway or launch trailer. Recovery is an autonomous deep-stall maneuver. The airframe is fully waterproof and can land on fresh or salt water.

The 3-hour figure sits on the product page next to the optional PS2500 battery, which the page pairs with "up to three hours" of flight.

AeroVironment Puma 3 AE Specifications Table

Every figure in the table below comes from AeroVironment's own Puma 3 AE product page.

The last row records price as not published, because the product page lists no price for the Puma 3 AE. For how drone programme costs are reported when a maker publishes no unit price, see the guide to military drone cost.

Range Tiers and What Each Add-On Changes

The Puma 3 AE's published operational range runs from 20 km standard to 40 km with ERA and 60 km with the LRTA.

AeroVironment does not expand the abbreviation ERA on the Puma 3 AE product page. The LRTA is named in full as a long-range tracking antenna. With the LRTA fitted, the page puts telemetry and control reach at up to about 60 km (about 37 mi), the same distance as the top range tier.

The product page gives no datalink specification beyond that LRTA reach figure.

Launch and Recovery Without a Runway

The Puma 3 AE launches three ways, by hand, by bungee or from a rail, and AeroVironment states that none of the three needs a runway or a launch trailer.

Recovery is an autonomous deep-stall maneuver.

The fully waterproof Puma 3 AE airframe can land on fresh or salt water, according to the product page. AeroVironment also lists a VTOL Kit as an option for the Puma 3 AE, covered in the next section.

Options and Payload Choices

AeroVironment lists two electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensors for the Puma 3 AE, the Mantis i45 and the Mantis i45 N, where N marks the night variant.

Base payload capacity on the Puma 3 AE is 4 lb (1.8 kg). Heavy Lift Software raises that to 6.5 lb (2.9 kg), an increase of 2.5 lb (1.1 kg). An under-wing transit bay carries secondary payloads.

The other listed options are the VTOL Kit, the optional PS2500 battery and a visual navigation system for Global Positioning System (GPS)-contested environments.

Where the AeroVironment Puma Sits Among Hand-Launched Aircraft

The Puma 3 AE is the hand-launchable model AeroVironment details on its Puma 3 AE product page, and the AeroVironment company profile covers the wider business. Puma LE specifications are not published on that page.

Side-by-side figures for other aircraft sit in the fixed-wing drones guide, which holds the comparison table. Separate pages cover the ScanEagle and the RQ-21A Blackjack, and the overview of types of military drones places each category.