News & Articles

• Rapidly deployable via hand-launch, Puma LE’s 5.5-hour endurance delivers persistent data with increased time on station, in an economical two-case mission packout
• Puma LE’s 5.5-pound total payload capacity includes a secondary payload bay with dedicated power supply and Ethernet connection, making Puma LE the ideal multi-mission platform for third-party payload integration
• Shared plug-and-play interoperability with Puma AE components reduces logistical and training impact

WASHINGTON, at AUSA 2019 Annual Meeting & Exposition, Booth #425, Oct. 14, 2019 – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), today announced the launch of Puma LE (Long Endurance), the next generation in its Puma All Environment small UAS product line. Puma LE builds on the combat-proven Puma AE legacy with new capabilities, increased range, and expanded payload capacity. With the integrated Mantis i45 gimbaled EO/IR sensor and NVG-visible laser illuminator, Puma LE provides the warfighter with superior imagery for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) during day, night and low-light operations on land and in maritime environments.

Portugal’s first sustained combat operations in decades has resulted in the acquisition and deployment of a new unmanned aerial system capability.

“It has proved a really demanding theater of operations and we have received a lot of requirements that are forced in the field need and we are providing them,” said Richard Camilo, a staff officer with the Portuguese Army Force Planning Division. Camilo spoke exclusively to The Defense Post at the SMi-organized UAV Technology conference in London on October 1.

One of those acquisitions is AeroVironment’s Raven, a mini UAV that is hand deployable by Portuguese soldiers operating in the field. Last year, Portugal purchased 12 Raven systems through a $5,962,494 NATO Support and Procurement Agency contract. The first RQ-11B Raven drones were received by the Portuguese Army in June.

• Successful first test flight takes place less than two years after program start
• Test program to expand operating envelope with sequentially higher and longer flights

SIMI VALLEY, Calif., Sept. 16, 2019 – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV), a global leader in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for both defense and commercial applications, announced the successful first flight of the HAWK30 solar HAPS unmanned aircraft system on September 11, 2019 at the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center in California. AeroVironment partnered with SoftBank Corp (TOKYO:9434) to create HAPSMobile Inc., the joint venture funding HAWK30 design development and demonstration.

• VAPOR 35 and VAPOR 55 add vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and multi-payload capabilities, complementing and expanding AeroVironment’s leading fixed-wing small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)
• VAPOR all-electric Helicopter UAS product line delivers advanced performance, endurance and payload flexibility, with up to 10 lbs. (4.5 kg) of usable payload capacity, and one hour of flight time on a single battery charge
• Addition of VAPOR strengthens AeroVironment’s commitment to delivering multi-mission operational capabilities and comprehensive small UAS solutions for defense, commercial and industrial customers
• AeroVironment combat-proven family of small UAS deliver actionable intelligence as the leading small UAS deployed by U.S. Armed Forces, and more than 45 allied governments

LONDON, at DSEI 2019, STAND N5-202, Sept. 10, 2019 – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems for both defense and commercial applications, today announced the availability of its VAPOR all-electric Helicopter UAS at Defence & Security Equipment International (DSEI), the world’s largest land, sea and air defense and security exhibition. Developed at AeroVironment Innovation Center-Midwest, VAPOR incorporates more than a decade of aerospace engineering, technical research and development to bring to market high-performance helicopter UAS at attractive price points for defense, commercial and industrial customers.

• 2019 University Collaboration Project advances academic research, applications and crop production practices
• Quantix™ hybrid drone and the AeroVironment Decision Support System™ (AV DSS) deliver on-demand field intelligence to improve crop management for today’s growers
• Drone and data analytics ecosystem to be used in a wide variety of precision agriculture research studies

SIMI VALLEY, Calif., August 21, 2019 - AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems for both defense and commercial applications, today announced its 2019 Quantix and AV DSS University Collaboration Project. The project’s focus is to advance academic research, applications and crop production practices to improve the future of farming through the use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and advanced data analytics.

• Contract award funded by U.S. Government fiscal year 2019 appropriations
• Raven systems support U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Special Operations Command, National Guard and more than 25 defense forces around the globe
• Raven lightweight small unmanned aircraft system is designed for rapid deployment to deliver real-time tactical situational awareness

SIMI VALLEY, Calif., Aug. 19, 2019 – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems for both defense and commercial applications, today announced it received a firm fixed-price contract award on July 25, 2019 valued at $45,190,881 for RQ-11B Raven® small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and initial spares packages. AeroVironment received the contract award from the United States Army for its Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFAB). Delivery is anticipated by January 2020.

The FAA has granted HAPSMobile Inc. a Certificate of Authorization (COA2) to fly the HAWK30 solar-powered UAS to provide a stratospheric telecommunications platform system in the Hawaiian island of Lanai’s stratosphere.

HAPSMobile has been working with the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) and the University of Hawaii to conduct stratospheric test flights using HAWK30, as part of collaborative activities with the Pan-Pacific UAS Test Range Complex (PPUTRC).

• Pulse’s complementary Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) product family strengthens AeroVironment’s leading family of fixed-wing small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)
• Acquisition expands total addressable market by increasing mission capabilities of AeroVironment family of systems
• Pulse Aerospace receives multi-year contract award with a maximum value of more than $13 million from undisclosed defense customer for Vapor VTOL unmanned systems, spares and services
• Acquisition expected to be accretive to AeroVironment earnings by the third full year of operations

SIMI VALLEY, Calif., June 11, 2019 – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for both defense and commercial applications, today announced it has acquired Pulse Aerospace, LLC, a developer and supplier of small VTOL UAS, for $25.7 million in cash, including milestone-based earn-out payments of $5 million. AeroVironment financed the transaction entirely from available cash on hand.

SIMI VALLEY, Calif., June 3, 2019 – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV) today announced that President and Chief Executive Officer Wahid Nawabi will present at the William Blair Growth Stock Conference in Chicago on Wednesday, June 5, 2019 at 8:00 a.m. Central Time.

SIMI VALLEY, Calif., May 16, 2019 - AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV), a global leader in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for both defense and commercial applications, today announced the retirement of Kirk Flittie, senior vice president and general manager. Flittie will retire due to health reasons on July 13, 2019 and will provide consulting services for a period of time thereafter to support his transition.