In a major upgrade to its unmanned aerial capabilities, the Italian military has selected American-made VTOL drones over competitors still being considered by the U.S. Army for its own Shadow replacement program.
Italy has awarded a $46 million contract to American drone manufacturer AeroVironment to supply new Jump 20 vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), replacing the country’s aging fleet of Textron RQ-7 Shadow reconnaissance aircraft.
The five-year agreement, finalized on April 21, follows a competitive evaluation process that mirrors the U.S. Army’s ongoing Future Tactical Uncrewed Aerial System (FTUAS) program, which is also seeking to replace its RQ-7 Shadow fleet.
Italy originally purchased 16 Shadow UAVs in 2010 for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition missions supporting Army ground combat units. Additional aircraft have since been added to the inventory.
The Jump 20 acquisition represents a significant technological advancement for Italian forces, as the new drones eliminate the need for the pneumatic catapult required to launch the RQ-7 Shadows. The VTOL capability allows the Jump 20 to operate from confined spaces without runways or specialized launching equipment.
Notably, AeroVironment was eliminated from the U.S. Army’s parallel FTUAS competition in 2023, where only Textron and Griffon Aerospace remain as finalists after Northrop Grumman and Sierra Nevada Corporation were dropped from consideration earlier this year.
Griffon is competing with its Valiant design, featuring a quad-rotor configuration with rotating nacelles similar to a tiltrotor aircraft. Textron’s entry is the Aerosonde Mk 4.8 hybrid quad-rotor, which began developmental testing this month after the delivery of two prototype systems to the Army.
AeroVironment recently unveiled an enhanced version of the platform called the Jump 20-X, powered by a heavy fuel engine compatible with the Pentagon’s standard JP-8 jet fuel instead of the gasoline engine used in the standard model. This modification makes the 20-X suitable for maritime operations, where gasoline presents an unacceptable fire hazard.
The Jump 20-X variant also includes additional capabilities such as wide area search radar, electro-optical/infrared passive detection systems, and an automatic identification system ship transponder for maritime operations.
According to AeroVironment, the Jump 20 platform can perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, as well as electronic warfare and signals intelligence tasks.
Key Takeaways
- Italy has contracted with AeroVironment for $46 million to replace its RQ-7 Shadow fleet with Jump 20 VTOL drones.
- The deal spans five years and follows a competitive evaluation similar to the ongoing U.S. Army FTUAS program.
- The Jump 20 offers vertical take-off and landing capability, eliminating the need for the pneumatic launch systems used with Shadow drones.
- AeroVironment was eliminated from the U.S. Army’s FTUAS competition, where only Textron and Griffon Aerospace remain as finalists.
