AeroVironment’s JUMP 20 Medium UAS Supports U.S. Navy 4th Fleet in Operation Southern Spear
AeroVironment, Inc., a leader in uncrewed aircraft solutions, has marked a significant operational milestone with the successful deployment of its JUMP® 20 medium uncrewed aircraft system (MUAS) in support of the U.S. Navy’s 4th Fleet during Operation Southern Spear. Delivered under a company-owned, company-operated (COCO) model, the deployment underscores AeroVironment’s growing role in advancing maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities within dynamic and high-stakes environments.
Expanding ISR Frontiers in Maritime Operations
During the approximately six-month-long mission across the Caribbean and the southern Atlantic region, AeroVironment’s JUMP 20 MUAS played a critical role in supporting the 4th Fleet’s ISR objectives by providing persistent surveillance in areas known for illicit maritime activity. The MUAS tracked and monitored potential threats, contributing to a broader maritime domain awareness strategy and enhancing the operational decision-making capabilities of naval and interagency forces in the region.
Designed for expeditionary environments, the JUMP 20’s vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capabilities allow it to operate autonomously from moving maritime platforms, even in adverse conditions. The system supports autonomous launch and recovery on vessels experiencing sea states of up to level 5 and wind speeds exceeding 20 knots—an essential feature for naval ISR missions conducted in open-ocean conditions.
Operational Success Driven by Innovation and Endurance
Shane Hastings, Vice President and General Manager of Medium UAS at AeroVironment, emphasized the strategic importance of this deployment and the company’s commitment to maritime innovation.
“Advancing and refining the JUMP 20 maritime offering has been a major focus and investment for AV during the past 18 months,” Hastings said. “This contract represented the culmination of that work and marked the first of what we hope are many operational maritime deployments of the JUMP 20. What sets the JUMP 20 apart from other Group 3 UAS in its class is its superior payload capacity, unmatched modularity, and exceptional endurance—all delivered without the need for launch or recovery equipment. This enables fully hands-free operations and maximizes operational safety.”
This successful deployment not only demonstrated the platform’s robustness in harsh maritime environments but also validated its modular architecture, which allows rapid reconfiguration for different mission sets. With endurance exceeding 14 hours, the JUMP 20 can conduct extended ISR missions without the logistical burden of refueling or swapping out aircraft mid-mission.
Integrating into the Navy’s Hybrid Fleet Campaign
Operation Southern Spear is part of the U.S. Navy’s broader Hybrid Fleet Campaign, which seeks to operationalize Robotic and Autonomous Systems (RAS) through manned-unmanned teaming. This campaign is instrumental in exploring the tactical and strategic benefits of integrating unmanned systems into naval operations.
According to the U.S. Navy, “Operation Southern Spear was a successful operation designed to advance the Navy’s Hybrid Fleet Campaign, operationalizing Robotic and Autonomous Systems (RAS) through manned-unmanned teaming. In addition to meeting operational objectives, this operation transitioned from short-duration experimentation into long-duration operations aiding in the development of critical techniques and procedures designed to advance the global integration of RAS into the maritime environment.”
In this context, the JUMP 20 served as a vital ISR asset, operating in concert with joint and interagency partners. The system’s ability to collect, analyze, and transmit real-time data provided a strategic advantage, enabling more agile responses to emerging threats in a complex maritime theater.
Proven Performance with Global Reach
The JUMP 20 has already established a strong track record of reliability and effectiveness in land-based operations. With more than 130,000 flight hours supporting U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) combat deployments, the system has demonstrated mission readiness in some of the world’s most demanding operational environments. Its transition to ship-based operations marks an evolution in the system’s operational use and expands its relevance across multi-domain missions.
By extending its operational footprint to the maritime domain, AeroVironment has unlocked new capabilities for naval forces that require persistent surveillance in areas where traditional ISR assets may be logistically or operationally limited. The ability to deploy quickly from a vessel without requiring specialized launch or recovery infrastructure makes the JUMP 20 uniquely suited for flexible, scalable maritime operations.
Partnership and Execution Under MARLINS
The JUMP 20’s role in Operation Southern Spear was carried out under the Monitoring, Analysis, Reconnaissance, Logistics, Intelligence, and Network Services (MARLINS) Task Order. AeroVironment supported the mission as a subcontractor to SMX, the prime contractor on the task order. This collaboration between industry partners reflects a growing trend of public-private partnerships driving innovation and operational success in defense and intelligence missions.
The MARLINS program facilitates the delivery of advanced ISR services to the Department of Defense and other federal agencies through a streamlined contracting vehicle. By leveraging the COCO model, the Navy was able to access leading-edge ISR capabilities without needing to purchase, maintain, or operate the aircraft directly—further enhancing agility and cost-efficiency.
Shaping the Future of Naval ISR
The successful deployment of the JUMP 20 during Operation Southern Spear represents a major step forward in the Navy’s integration of autonomous and semi-autonomous systems into its operational playbook. It also highlights AeroVironment’s strategic direction as it continues to invest in next-generation solutions that align with evolving defense priorities.
With national security stakeholders increasingly focused on countering non-traditional threats across dispersed maritime regions, the demand for responsive, platform-agnostic ISR capabilities is growing rapidly. AeroVironment is well-positioned to meet this demand, offering solutions that combine endurance, flexibility, and real-time data exploitation across multiple operational domains.
A New Era of Maritime ISR
As the Navy continues to evolve toward a hybrid fleet that blends human decision-making with autonomous efficiency, the operationalization of systems like the JUMP 20 will become increasingly central to maritime strategy. AeroVironment’s latest deployment not only validated the readiness of the JUMP 20 for high-tempo naval operations but also demonstrated how uncrewed aircraft systems can serve as force multipliers in detecting, deterring, and responding to emerging maritime threats.
Looking ahead, AeroVironment remains committed to expanding the reach and capabilities of its UAS platforms, with a focus on enabling integrated, intelligence-driven operations that support national defense priorities in every theater—land, sea, and air.