The Netherlands has signed a contract with AeroVironment for the upgrade of its Puma AE small UASs and for larger, longer range Puma LE UASs. (Dutch MoD)
The Netherlands is upgrading its Puma All Environment (AE) small unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) and procuring larger Puma Long Endurance (LE) UASs, the Dutch Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on its website on 19 March. The contract was signed with US company AeroVironment in Utrecht, the Netherlands, earlier the same day.
Dutch Puma AE block II UASs will be upgraded to block III standard, which the MoD said can operate in areas in which global navigation satellite services are denied. Other capabilities will be improved and the UAS will receive a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) kit.
Planning calls for the upgraded UASs to be delivered in 2025 and to be operational at the squad and platoon levels later in the year and at the company level probably in 2026, according to the Dutch MoD.
The Netherlands will also receive Puma LE UASs with a longer range than the Puma AE.
The Dutch MoD noted that Puma is used mainly for reconnaissance and that the small UAS collects detailed up-to-date information during operations, improving situational awareness of large areas and providing early warning of dangerous situations such as blocked routes or suspect vehicles. The UASs can also be used for civilian tasks, the Dutch MoD said.
Puma can be operated by individual infantry soldiers and from Fennek armoured reconnaissance vehicles, with the ministry aiming for all reconnaissance units to be equipped with the UAS.
The Puma upgrade is part of a wider Royal Netherlands Army plan to increase UAS capabilities, which the Dutch MoD expects to contribute to the service's modernisation and improved effectiveness.
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