The U.S. Army has expanded its commitment to the Hero 120 loitering munition system, placing an additional delivery order worth over $50 million under its Lethal Unmanned Systems program. The contract extension came just 24 hours after prime contractor Mistral Inc. and original design authority UVision announced the successful completion of the system’s Lot Acceptance Tests, a crucial quality-control milestone confirming that US-manufactured production models meet rigorous military standards.
The new order operates within a broader $982 million multi-year framework agreement awarded in October 2025 to field, train, and sustain the Hero 120 across army units. Weighing 24 kilograms and carrying a 4.5-kilogram warhead, the tank-busting suicide drone can operate at ranges up to 60 kilometers with an endurance of 60 minutes. Controlled via a datalink terminal and handheld unit, the system offers an in-flight abort capability that allows operators to cancel a strike mid-mission, return to loitering, re-engage alternate targets, or recover the airframe via parachute.
Industry executives emphasized that the expanded delivery will directly enhance soldier readiness by supplying field units with additional operational systems and ancillary support equipment. According to industry statements, domestic production of the system within the United States aligns directly with Pentagon initiatives to secure defense supply chains while integrating mature autonomous technology. The rapid transition from testing validation to an expanded delivery order highlights the Army’s push to accelerate the integration of precision loitering munitions across its tactical formations.
