At AeroVironment, we have spent the past few decades envisioning new solutions, telling our story through the results we create for and with our customers. Founded in 1971 by noted physicist and engineer Dr. Paul MacCready—whom Time magazine called one of the "greatest minds of the 20th century”—AV specializes in practical innovation. We create solutions that rewrite customers’ possibilities.

Our efficient electric energy systems (EES) help companies operate more efficiently and reduce their impact on the environment; and our unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) give our military customers practical tools to establish situational awareness, enhancing national security.

Here are a few of the principles that guide our work—today, tomorrow, always:

Thinkering is always productive.

We believe the secret to true innovation is to go beyond merely solving problems, and to start changing the way people approach the solution. Our employees like to call this process thinkering. Part thinking, part tinkering, it involves anticipating customers’ real-world needs. Moving deliberately. Working with early adopters to develop the technology. And getting it right.

Meet a few of our Thinkerers.

See what makes AV a great place to work.

Innovate by solving real-world problems.

We tend to attract customers—Toyota, the U.S. Army, Ikea, Southwest Airlines, and Nestle, to name a few—who are looking to move beyond limits. Once we develop a breakthrough technology, we work with customers to develop the complete solution. Our systems integrate seamlessly into customers’ operations, maximizing their utility and minimizing the cost of change.

For examples of ways we’re working with our customers to move them forward, get the latest industry news from our press center.

Lead the markets you create.

How can we make customers more successful? How can we increase their productivity and efficiency? These questions drive everything we do. In answering them, we’ve managed to lead the markets we create. AV is the market leader in small unmanned aircraft systems, supporting all existing programs of record for the United States Department of Defense. We’re also leading the charge to enable technologies for electric vehicle development and use. Although we have a history of making history—the world’s highest flying airplane, the prototype for the first modern electric vehicle, and the first U.S. military small UAS Program of Record—our real focus has always been developing technologies that make our customers successful.

Explore how we’re helping customers rewrite the possibilities with unmanned aircraft systems and with efficient energy solutions like electric vehicle charging systems, and power cycling and test systems.