ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 13, 2026--
AeroVironment, Inc. (“AV”) (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global defense technology leader, today announced that it has received an MQ-31A military designation from Italy’s Directorate of Aeronautical Armaments and Airworthiness (DAAA) to deliver the JUMP® 20 unmanned aircraft system (UAS) to the Italian Army.
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The MQ-31A designation confirms that the Italian Ministry of Defence now recognizes JUMP 20 as an official military capability.
“This designation validates that JUMP 20 meets the standards of a modern European military and underscores the system’s ability to deliver actionable intelligence and persistent overwatch in highly contested environments,” said Shane Hastings, Vice President and General Manager, Medium Unmanned Aircraft Systems at AV. “It also signals that Italy is treating JUMP 20 as an integrated element of its formal military inventory, rather than a limited trial or off-the-shelf experiment.”
The MQ-31A designation is the next step following AV’s April 2025 contract to deliver JUMP 20 VTOL aircraft systems, sustainment, engineering, and support, replacing Italy’s legacy unmanned ISR fleet while enhancing NATO interoperability, expeditionary operations, and operational readiness.
The JUMP 20 was selected over multiple bidders through a competitive procurement process and continues to grow in popularity among NATO forces in Europe.
“Across Europe, JUMP 20 continues to gain traction with allied forces, including Italy, Denmark, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic, reinforcing its position as a trusted and rapidly adopted medium UAS platform,” said Hastings.
Designed for simplicity and adaptability, JUMP 20 is a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), fixed-wing unmanned aircraft system with more than 13 hours of endurance and an operational range of 185 km (115 mi). Runway-independent, the system is built for rapid, safe deployment, launching and landing autonomously without the need for personnel intervention. Its rugged, easily transportable design makes it ideal for dynamic, on-the-move operations. The system offers best-in-class open system architecture, with more than 70 integrated payloads and over 500,000 flight hours in operational environments.
Engineered with a 30-pound modular payload capacity, JUMP 20 easily adapts to evolving concepts of operations (CONOPS) and multi-domain mission demands. Its modular design ensures seamless integration of next-generation sensors, communication tools and advanced autonomy, helping Italian forces maintain an edge in UAS battlefield innovation.
About AV
AeroVironment (“AV”) (NASDAQ: AVAV) is a defense technology leader delivering integrated capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. The Company develops and deploys autonomous systems, loitering munitions, counter-UAS technologies, space-based platforms, directed energy systems, and cyber and electronic warfare capabilities—built to meet the mission needs of today’s warfighter and tomorrow’s conflicts. At the core of these technologies lies AV_Halo™, a modular, mission-ready suite of AI-powered software tools that empowers warfighters and enables full-battlefield dominance: detect, decide, deliver. With a national manufacturing footprint and a deep innovation pipeline, AV delivers proven systems and future-defining capabilities at speed, scale, and operational relevance. For more information, visit www.avinc.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to, our ability to perform under existing contracts and obtain new ones; regulatory changes; competitor activities; market growth; product development challenges; and general economic conditions. For a more detailed discussion of these risks, please refer to AeroVironment’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to update forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events.
AV Receives MQ-31A Designation from Italian Ministry of Defence (MoD)
