AeroVironment has announced it received a firm fixed-price order valued at $3,653,519 on March 15, 2012 from the United States Marine Corps through an existing U.S. Army contract.

The order includes RQ-11B Raven small unmanned aircraft systems and initial spares packages. The systems and spares were scheduled for delivery before April 17, 2012.

"The Raven system remains the cornerstone small UAS capability for the Marines and other military services, providing proven, reliable frontline situational awareness, anywhere and at any time," said Tom Herring, AeroVironment senior vice president and general manager, Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

The RQ-11B Raven unmanned aircraft system is a 4.2-pound, backpackable, handlaunched sensor platform that provides day and night, real-time video imagery wirelessly to a portable ground control station for "over the hill" and "around the corner" reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition in support of tactical units.

U.S. armed forces use Raven systems extensively for missions such as base security, route reconnaissance, mission planning and force protection. Each Raven system typically consists of three aircraft, two ground control stations and spares.