AV in the News
Look here to find articles and citings in the press about AV, our people, our products and topics that relate to us. If you find something elsewhere that we have not posted, then let us know by sending us an email at info@avinc.com.Marine Corps Pursues ‘Kamikaze’ Drone
May 16, 2012
NORFOLK, Va. — The Marine Corps is taking steps to procure its first “kamikaze” drone in an effort to provide small units the ability to quickly strike soft targets such as IED emplacement teams.
The Switchblade, produced by California-based AeroVironment, can be guided into a target and explode on impact, almost like a hand grenade, said company spokesman Steven Gitlin.
“For the first time they will have their own organic ability to engage targets [with a UAV],” he said.
New Puma UAV Well-Suited for Marines
May 07, 2012
The Marine Corps is buying a new drone that can land and take off in water, unlike any other aircraft in the service’s unmanned fleet.
The RQ-20A Puma AE, produced by AeroVironment Inc., is capable of operating in nearly any condition — hot, cold, wet or dry — making it well-suited for maritime operations.
‘Dragon’ Brigade Trains With Switchblade
May 03, 2012
‘Dragon’ Brigade trains with more reliable equipment
As the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, prepares for deployment later in the spring, units are being fielded with more reliable, technically proficient equipment.
The 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment; 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment; and the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment have been training on the new back-pack sized lethal miniature aerial munitions system, or LMAMS, – the Switchblade – from March 26 to 30.
View of Unmanned Aircraft Changes With Flight
April 15, 2012
Soldier operators share stories of lives saved.
NASHVILLE – Time and time again, the Army’s unmanned aircraft systems know how to make a good impression.
From the Soldier operator on console to the commander in the field, one display of the capabilities of an unmanned aircraft system as it performs reconnaissance or surveillance for an advancing unit or for an Army helicopter is enough to convince users of its value on the battlefield.
"The capabilities of unmanned aircraft systems are so huge," Warrant Officer Michael Gray said.
24th Marine Expeditionary Unit Raven Flies the Skies of Morocco
April 15, 2012
AGADIR, Morocco — Marines with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit demonstrated the capabilities of the MEU’s unmanned aerial system assets for members of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, April 12, at Inezgane Airfield.
The UAS demonstration was part of the Command Post Exercise portion of Exercise African Lion 12, a bi-lateral training exercise between U.S forces and Royal Moroccan Armed Forces to promote partnership and mutual understanding between each nation’s militaries.
Digital Raven Enhanced with New Gimbaled Payload, Image Processing
April 02, 2012
The Raven small Unmanned Aerial System (SUAS) has become a popular intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance asset supporting low echelon formations (battalion and below). The Raven won its popularity due to the system’s simplicity and reliability as the manufacturer, Aerovironment Inc. (AV) developed the system to be used and operated by soldiers, in the field – simple, robust and effective. One of the unique features of the Raven, as well as other small and Micro UAS from AV is the use of fixed cameras staring forward and sideways, offering the user simple means to focus on the mission and on the target. For those who want more from their Ravens, AV is now offering a new gimbaled payload enabling the operator to keep the target in sight regardless of the aircraft attitude or flight path. AV unveiled the new payload today at the Army Aviation Association of America Annual Professional Forum and Exposition.
Swedish Television: Här är framtidens Spion
March 29, 2012
LA Times: Raven Drones Scan Area Before Vandenberg Rocket Launches
March 29, 2012
The 5-pound drones equipped with high-powered video cameras fly around the launch site northwest of Santa Barbara, scouring the ground below to ensure that the area is clear for blastoff.
Federal Wildlife Researchers Use Raven to Count Sandhill Cranes
March 26, 2012
Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have used unmanned aircraft in three trials to count the number of sandhill cranes that visit the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge and found them to be a safe alternative for both birds and scientists.
“What these systems do is they help to more quickly fly over the cranes,” said Leanne Hanson, a USGS biologist who is overseeing the use of the aircraft. “They don’t flush the birds so there’s no mid-air collision potential.”
The Australian: Civilian Drones That Can Dust Crops, Find Lost Toddlers And Wash Skyscraper Windows
March 23, 2012
THEY are the signature weapons of America's War on Terror, ghostly killers best known for stalking the badlands of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Now a new generation of drones is poised to enter everyday US life.
American police forces are to be allowed to use unmanned aircraft for the first time this year. Anticipating a potentially vast new market, AeroVironment, the company that supplies 85 per cent of the US military's drones, has developed the Qube, a quadcopter (a helicopter with four rotors) that can be packed into the boot of a police car and be ready to fly in less than five minutes.
I Mini-Drone Rafforzano Gli Arsenali Delle Polizie
March 23, 2012
Una pattuglia di militari israeliani si avvicina a un gruppo di case a Gaza ma alcuni precisi colpi feriscono un soldato bloccando l’avanzata. Impossibile vedere i tiratori scelti di Hamas piazzati in postazioni protette e rialzate. Un militare apre il suo zaino estraendo un piccolo velivolo, simile a un aeromodello.
Oregon Unveils Its Electrified Highway
March 16, 2012
It’s official: Oregon has the longest stretch of electrified road in the United States. And no, this isn’t an Eddy Grant song.
Instead, it’s part of the Electric Highway project. As of Friday morning, the first eight links are operating in what will ultimately be a three-state chain of electric vehicle charging stations along I-5.
The stations were unveiled Friday in ceremonies by the Oregon Department of Transportation and project partner AeroVironment EV (NASDAQ: AVAV).
Bloomberg: Drones in U.S. Need to Fly Within Privacy Rules: View
March 14, 2012
Consider the Qube. It’s 3 feet long, weighs about 5 pounds and can be assembled in a jiffy. It’s equipped with thermal and high-resolution cameras. It can fly all by itself, for 40 minutes at a time, hovering noiselessly at up to 500 feet. And it films all it sees.
The Economist: Unblinking Eyes in the Sky
March 01, 2012
Technology and society: Drone aircraft are no longer restricted to military use. They are being built and used by hobbyists, activists and estate agents, among others.
Army Second Striker Brigade Relies on Puma
February 09, 2012
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – Conventional wisdom says the Air Force controls the sky, the Navy controls the water and the Army controls the land; however, Unmanned Aircraft Systems have revolutionized the way the Army fights.
The Army has empowered echelons at all levels with the unique capabilities that the UAS brings to the modern battlefield starting with the S2AS Puma All Environment UAS.
“The most important note for the Puma is it empowers your lower enlisted,” said Tarah Hollingsworth, an Aviation and Missile Command Logistics Assistance representative for the U.S. Army who specializes in UAS. “It empowers your privates, your specialists, your corporals to make those life critical decisions. It used to be in past wars and combat that they had to get contacted via radio when there was danger up ahead; this shortens that critical decision-making chain.”
Unmanned Aircraft A Controversial Surveillance Tool For N.D. Law Enforcement
January 31, 2012
Grand Forks, N.D. — In a first for local law enforcement in the region, 16 North Dakota counties will soon use two small unmanned aircraft to monitor crime scenes and track suspects.
Much like the unmanned aircraft flying over war zones in Afghanistan or along U.S. borders, these aircraft are small enough to into the back of an SUV. But each carry a camera and can provide streaming video to a police officer piloting the plane from the ground.
Drones Fly Into Nascent Civilian Market Ripe With Energy, Environmental Applications
January 25, 2012
As a Russian tanker plowed through the frozen Bering Sea to deliver fuel to Nome, Alaska, earlier this month, it had an unlikely helper: a small drone that hovered overhead, sending images of the sea ice to researchers onshore who were plotting the vessel's path and planning oil spill contingencies.
Drone technology, which revolutionized the way the U.S. military spies and fights, is now opening vast new opportunities for environmental researchers and the energy industry. And the Arctic -- with its brutal temperatures and vast, unpopulated spaces making manned flight difficult and dangerous -- is ground zero for those efforts.
Channel Nine Australia: New Look At US Military Drones
January 21, 2012
The US military is redeveloping a form of technology that gives them the edge in combat without risking lives.
UAVs Shrink As Technology Grows
January 16, 2012
AeroVironment has captured the imagination of a worldwide audience with news of a major extension of its activities into nano air vehicles (NAVs).
Ever since human beings first discovered the basic principles of lift and the importance of wing shapes, the necessary muscle power and control movements of birds defeated all attempts to emulate the mechanical process of using wing flapping to beat gravity. The hummingbird’s amazing ability to conduct a perfectly stable hover has long fascinated students of aerodynamics, especially when slow-motion film footage displays the complexity and perfection of its ultrahigh-speed wing flapping movements.
The Economist: Civilian Drones Difference Engine: Unblinking Eye In The Sky
January 13, 2012
WHEN drones are used even by environmental activists to track down Japanese whaling vessels, it is a sure sign that UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) are no longer the sole prerogative of the military. Police forces around the world are certainly keen to lay their hands on small pilotless aircraft to help them nab fleeing criminals and monitor crime scenes from above. With price tags of a little more (and, in some case, a good deal less) than the $40,000 of a patrol car, a new generation of micro-UAVs is being recruited to replace police helicopters costing $1.7m and up.
Ugandans Train on Raven UAVs
January 05, 2012
REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- Uganda air force Pvt. Ronald Mudhasi locked his arm as instructed and flung the small remote-controlled airplane into the overcast sky.
The Raven flew majestically above Test Area 3 but Mudhasi's work wasn't finished. He joined his countrymen and their instructors under a nearby canopy to help control the unmanned aircraft system's flight.
Eight members of the Uganda air force received training on the Raven Dec. 12-23. The Uganda defense forces purchased four of the systems in July for $3 million, according to logistics management specialist Cindy Vanburg of AMCOM's Security Assistance Management Directorate.
AeroVironment Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Featured On BBC News
December 29, 2011
Private companies are developing smaller, more sophisticated unmanned military drones to be used for air strikes or reconnaissance missions.
The technology is big business in the US and California has become a hub for designing and building the devices.
And as Alastair Leithead reports, they could soon be used in the US as well as abroad.
Top 7 ‘Breakthrough’ Military Weapons
December 26, 2011
A kamikaze drone, developed by military contractor AeroVironment, fits easily into a backpack, can be guided via real-time video to hunt down enemies and explode on impact.
Drone Maker Came of Age After 9/11 Attacks
December 26, 2011
Drone maker AeroVironment Inc. came of age during America's post-9/11 wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
They were the right conflicts at the right time for the Monrovia-based defense contractor, which designs, develops and manufactures drones in Simi Valley, company officials said.
Because of the nature of those wars, in which U.S. troops faced small groups of adversaries embedded in civilian populations or hiding in agricultural areas and caves, drones — or as AeroVironment prefers to call them, small unmanned aircraft systems — proved to be an essential tool in the military's arsenal.
Energy Companies Eyeing Drones to Survey Pipelines
December 18, 2011
New regulatory recommendations expected to be released by the Federal Aviation Administration soon could allow oil-and-gas companies to purchase light-weight unmanned drones akin to those used by the military.
Energy companies already use remotely operated vehicles to monitor and manipulate wells at extreme underwater depths, and unmanned aircraft companies hope that in the coming years, companies will be able to hire or buy aerial drones to survey pipelines, check on hard-to-reach parts of platforms and gather information after an offshore accident occurs.
AeroVironment Profiled in Bloomberg Businessweek
December 08, 2011
Flight of the Warbots
How a save-the-earth maker of solar-powered aircraft became the world's most prolific manufacturer of military drones.
The members of Apache Troop couldn’t see a thing. It was August 2010, 0200 hours. About 120 U.S. and Iraqi soldiers were silently spreading out over a remote farm in northwestern Iraq. Their objective: a mud hut where, according to intelligence reports, two suicide bombers were planning an attack on a checkpoint to coincide with the end of Ramadan. But the allied soldiers, even wearing night vision goggles, couldn’t locate the hut; eight-foot-tall sunflowers obscured their view.
LA Times: Drone-Maker AeroVironment Reports $6.6-Million Quarterly Profit
December 07, 2011
The Monrovia firm exceeds estimates and says the latest gains show that the Pentagon is increasing its use of small aircraft to compensate as troops are moved out of Iraq.
America’s First ‘Electric Highway’ Will Be Up And Running Within Months
December 06, 2011
As more electric cars begin rolling off production lines, the need for infrastructure to support alternative-energy vehicles becomes increasingly vital.
Washington has been prepping its roadways for the future wave of electric cars for more than a year by planning an extensive network of recharging stations in the nation's first "Electric Highway."
LA Times: Idea of Civilians Using Drone Aircraft May Soon Fly With FAA
November 27, 2011
The Federal Aviation Administration plans to propose new rules for the use of small drones in January, a first step toward clearing the way for police departments, farmers and others to employ the technology.
Mini Unmanned Copters Offer New Eyes in Sky for First Responders
November 22, 2011
Manned choppers have proven their worth many times over in helping law enforcement agencies and other first responders keep our communities safe. But only 1 percent of the estimated 15,000 to 18,000 law-enforcement agencies in the U.S. have access to air assets. They cost too much to buy and operate for most municipalities.
Unmanned Aircraft: Bringing A Switchblade To A Knife Fight
November 18, 2011
In a recent story for Bloomberg Businessweek, Tony Capaccio, one of the best defense reporters in Washington, broke the story about the use by Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan of a Switchblade. As the capitalization of the word might indicate, the Switchblade to which I am referring is not the knife made famous in Hollywood B movies. Rather, it is an ingenious, miniature unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is also a weapon. According to Capaccio’s sources, just under a dozen Switchblades have been employed to date with great effect and SOF has asked for almost a dozen more. The fielding of Switchblade is the leading edge of what is likely to be the broader, even wholesale, weaponization of unmanned systems.
LA Times: Southland Aerospace Innovations Snag Magazine Awards
November 18, 2011
Southern California's aerospace technology has recently received national recognition.
This week's Time magazine cover features Monrovia-based drone maker AeroVironment Inc.’s Nano Hummingbird as one of the best inventions of 2011.
TIME Magazine “50 Best Inventions of 2011”
November 17, 2011
Don’t be fooled by its colorful exterior. This tiny Hummingbird is actually a surveillance prototype for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, developed by the California based AeroVironment. The Hummingbird—officially called the Nano Air Vehicle—is among 50 new inventions, which appear in the new issue of TIME.
Popular Science: Nano Hummingbird Receives “Best of What’s New in 2011” Award & “Grand Award Winner
November 16, 2011
Nano was selected as the "Grand Award Winner" for the Security category.
Most flying robots use rotors or propellers, limiting the craft’s ability to maneuver in tight places. The Nano Hummingbird navigates by changing the angle and shape of its paper-thin wings—which beat 20 to 40 times per second—and can hover in place for up to 11 minutes. It is also small enough to fly through windows or other small openings, strong enough to carry a microphone or camera, and stable enough to maintain a highly controlled hover, even in gusts of wind.
Small UAV Raven
November 15, 2011
Pilots might dismiss Ravens as radio-controlled toys, but they are popular with soldiers in Afghanistan. The American army’s entire annual purchase of almost 1,300 Ravens is thus lighter than a single fully armed Reaper. The two-kilogram RQ-11B Raven from AeroVironment of Monrovia, California looks like a model aircraft and can fit into a backpack.
Big Ideas Need Time To Develop
November 08, 2011
Nov 08, 2011 (The Salina Journal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- There are lots of great ideas, but turning one into a usable -- and sellable -- product can take years, if not decades.
That was part of the message from Tim Conver, chairman and CEO of AeroVironment, a California-based company known worldwide for its innovations.
AV Talks Small UAS on Federal News Radio
October 27, 2011
Drones — officially known as unmanned aerial systems — have patrolled the U.S.-Mexico border and targeted terrorist leaders halfway across the world. Someday fighters and bombers will likely even be unmanned.
And now one company has learned how to downsize the latest weapon of war to a size small enough to fit in a soldier's backpack.
Popular Mechanics: Nano Hummingbird Receives 2011 Breakthrough Award
October 03, 2011
Flight, Reimagined: The First Robotic Hummingbird
No thrusters, no propellers, just flapping wings. These Breakthrough innovators embraced the challenge of building a tiny aircraft under those constraints. Their creation, a machine that look and flies just like a hummingbird, shows the wild potential of tiny remote-controlled aircraft.
US Geological Survey Uses Raven to Monitor River Erosion on Indian Reservation
September 22, 2011
The US Geological Survey has just released this video of its Raven flights to monitor river bank erosion on the Lower Brule reservation on the bank of the Missouri River that we reported in August.The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe (LBST) Environmental Protection Office asked the USGS for assistance in monitoring erosion of the Missouri River shoreline on the Lower Brule Reservation.
AeroVironment: EV Pioneer Becomes A Charging Leader
September 12, 2011
When Jay Leno wanted a 240-volt charging station for his new Chevrolet Volt, he turned to a neighbor, Monrovia, California-based AeroVironment, a company with a long history of environmental innovation, including building ultra-light aircraft and the prototype of the General Motors EV1.
Los Angeles Times: AeroVironment’s Small UAS Became A Staple Of Post-9/11 Military Operations
September 10, 2011
It wasn't long after the World Trade Center twin towers fell that U.S. Army special forces units were dispatched to the desolate outcroppings of Afghanistan to stalk and eradicate the Taliban.
The commandos were outfitted with radios, night vision goggles and automatic rifles. But a select few carried a new high-tech tool to hunt down the enemy.
“Spy in the Sky” - AV’s UAS Featured on KTLA
September 06, 2011
MSNBC: Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems - The Future of Technology
September 06, 2011
AeroVironment, Inc. Releases 2011 Annual Report
August 18, 2011
The Economist: Joining The Drones Club
August 15, 2011
THE future of air power is likely to be unmanned. It may also be surprisingly small. Reapers and Predators grab the headlines, but these big, high-profile drones are already outnumbered by small and cheap but capable craft.
One good example is the RQ-11B Raven, made by AeroVironment of Monrovia, California, and widely used by America’s armed forces. It looks like a model aircraft. When disassembled it fits into a backpack. Launching it is just a matter of snapping the parts together and throwing it into the air, whence it is carried aloft by an electric propeller. It weighs just two kilograms. That means the American army’s entire annual purchase of almost 1,300 Ravens is lighter than a single fully armed Reaper. Pilots might dismiss Ravens as radio-controlled toys, but they are popular with soldiers and more are being rushed to Afghanistan.
Paul MacCready - Biographical Memoirs
August 11, 2011
Perhaps no one since Leonardo da Vinci was more facinated by aviation, and the excitement of soaring through the skies like birds, than Dr. Paul MacCready.
Nissan and AeroVironment Expand to Canada in Support of the Nissan LEAF
July 25, 2011
- Leading Infrastructure provider AeroVironment selected to supply home charging solutions -
Today Nissan Canada announced the reservation process for the Nissan LEAF, which will see the first Canadian consumers in the all-electric car this fall. Nissan will carefully manage the purchase process from the first step, when consumers sign up on www.nissan.ca/leaf, until the customer drives the Nissan LEAF home and plugs it into a personal charging dock. Early interest in the Nissan LEAF has been highly encouraging with over 15,000 Canadians registered on the microsite.
AV Aggressively Building Out Its Electric Vehicle Charging Business
July 20, 2011
As I continue covering the electric vehicle (EV) space, I will offer Seeking Alpha readers interviews with some of the industry's major players. In this article, I present a Q&A, conducted via email, with the SVP of AeroVironment's (AVAV) Efficient Energy Systems (EES) segment, Mike Bissonette. EES focuses on the electric vehicle charging market.
Coming Soon: Hummingbird-sized Drone
July 15, 2011
AV's Nano Hummingbird UAS featured on Fox News.
AV Joins Sierra Club & A Broad Coalition of Industry, Local Government & Public Interest Groups
July 07, 2011
Today more than 180 local and national companies and organizations joined together to show their support for plug-in electric vehicle (EV) policies and infrastructure –demonstrating the groundswell of support in all regions of the country for EV innovation and the types of policies needed to make it successful.
Scientists Use AV’s Puma AE UAS to Study Stellar Sea Lions in Alaska
July 07, 2011
Between June 14-15, researchers from the Poker Flat Research Range tested the AeroVironment Puma AE, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that they hope will aide scientists in studying the decline in western Alaska’s Stellar sea lion population.
Time Magazine: Gears Of War: Inside America’s Incredible Military Arsenal
June 28, 2011
From high-tech stealth bombers, to the latest night-vision rifles and assault helicopters, the U.S. armed forces have the most sophisticated military hardware in the world. Here are some of the niftiest pieces of equipment used in recent missions from Operation Odyssey Dawn in Libya to the Osama bin Laden raid in Pakistan.
RQ-11 Raven Drone, Puma AE Drone, Wasp Drone
The New U.S. “Smalls” Air Force Over Afghanistan
June 27, 2011
We've all seen the airplane-sized Predator and Reaper drones now flying and fighting over Afghanistan, Libya, Pakistan and Yemen. They're fairly big (the Predator has a 48-foot [15-m.] wingspan) and costly ($5 million each). But there are fleets of smaller and cheaper man-launched drones that have been, um, flying under the radar in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Even as U.S. troops begin pulling out of Afghanistan, the Army is preparing to send a veritable air force of an additional 300 such small drones into the Afghan campaign over the next three months. These hand-launched Raven and Puma drones provide security for forward operating bases, and the convoys streaming to them carrying everything from fuel to food.
Army Surging Hundreds of Small UAV’s to Afghanistan
June 24, 2011
Even as President Obama draws up plans to start bringing some combat troops home form Afghanistan next month, the reality is the vast majority of troops aren’t going anywhere for at least another year. As a result, the Army is sticking with its plans to surge hundreds of hand-launched Raven and Puma unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to Afghanistan this summer
American Micro-Drones As Small As A Humming Bird
June 20, 2011
American military engineers are developing a new generation of aerial micro-drones, shrinking the unmanned aircraft to the size of insects and birds.
Black Sea Rotational Force 11 Brings the Raven to Romania
June 06, 2011
BUZAU, Romania - Recently, U.S. Marines and soldiers with Black Sea Rotational Force 11 travelled to Buzau, Romania, to provide the Romanian army a familiarization course to display the capabilities of the Raven-B, unmanned aerial vehicle.
This familiarization course was presented over five days and was split between classroom lectures and practical application exercises, where Romanian soldiers were given some stick time on the Raven system.
BMW Picks Home Rechargers For Next Electric-Car Foray
May 18, 2011
If you're going to get in the electric-car business, you'd better partner up with an outfit that knows something about recharging. That's what BMW is doing.
The German luxury brand has chosen a company called AeroVironment to install home recharging units when it starts its next big test of electric vehicles, its BMW ActiveE program.
It’s A Bird … It’s A Plane … No, It’s the Wasp III
May 06, 2011
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – In today's warfare, being able to put a set of eyes on the enemy first, without the enemy knowing, greatly increases the success rate of the mission.
Soldiers with the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division were the first U.S. Army Soldiers in Iraq to receive training on the Wasp III, an unmanned micro-aerial surveillance system, and take it for a test flight April 24 around Camp Taji.
"This system is effective, lightweight and very adaptable," said Staff Sgt. Brian Phillips, a Raven unmanned aerial surveillance master trainer with Company C, 1st Battalion, 38th Inf. Regiment, 4th SBCT, 2nd Inf. Div. "A single Soldier, at the company or platoon level can throw the whole system on their back and carry it into the field,"
Army Rushes to Deploy Small Drones to Afghanistan, But Needs Better Trained Operators
April 20, 2011
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The demand for small unmanned aircraft continues to grow. Hundreds of new systems are being shipped to Afghanistan, officials said, but training enough operators before they deploy remains a challenge.
“We’ve had a tremendous request from theater to increase the number of small UAS that are going to brigade combat teams, particularly in the southern part of Afghanistan,” Col. Greg Gonzalez, project manager for Army UAS, said April 19 at the Army Aviation Association of America’s annual forum. “That terrain, that mission down there lends itself to these.
The Future of Transportation is Here: eVgo Freedom Station Video
April 15, 2011
Marine Special Operators Rely Heavily on Hand-Launched Drones
April 14, 2011
If every marine is a rifleman, then every marine special operator is an unmanned aircraft system pilot.
The newest component of U.S. Special Operations Command has quickly embraced drone technology, particularly the small hand-launched aircraft that weigh less than 20 pounds and fly at speeds under 100 knots.
“They are being used actively in theater by our guys. We’re having a lot of success with them,” said Jon “Blade” Hackett, unmanned aircraft systems program manager at Marine Corps Special Operations Command.
Popular Mechanics gets an AV Level 2 EV Charging Station - One Of The First NY Office Towers
March 29, 2011
Popular Mechanics' New Electric Vehicle Charging Station
Downstairs in Popular Mechanics' home base in New York, our newest pride and joy is online: PM's new charging station gave its inaugural charge to our Nissan Leaf, and our office at 300 West 57th Street became one of New York's first office towers with the capability to charge an electric car.
Here at Popular Mechanics, we've test-driven electric cars and covered the latest in car-charging tech. But now, if we want to charge up an electric vehicle, we can do it right in our own garage.
Downstairs in PM's home, at 300 West 57th Street in New York City, electricians have just completed the installation of a 208-volt charging station, making our home base one of the first office towers in the city with that capability. PM editor-in-chief James B. Meigs pulled up in our white test-drive edition of the Nissan Leaf so the station could let its inaugural burst of electrons flow.
AV’s CEO Profiled in the Los Angeles Times
March 21, 2011
Timothy E. Conver, CEO of drone maker AeroVironment, thinks small AeroVironment is the nation's largest provider of tiny robotic spy planes, which play a crucial role in modern warfare. It also produces charging stations for electric cars.
AeroVironment Inks Deal with Hawaii to Install Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles
March 18, 2011
Monrovia-based technology company AeroVironment Inc. announced a deal with Hawaii Thursday to install 320 electric charging docks throughout the state. The $820,000 deal is the latest in a string of key contracts for the company, which comes as more electric vehicles arrive to the marketplace and more states move to build an infrastructure to support them.
Send Out Ravens, Save Soldiers
March 17, 2011
FORT HOOD, Texas — It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s actually both, sort of.
Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division and the 41st Fires Brigade re-certified on the Army’s smallest unmanned aerial vehicle, the Raven RQ-11B.
The master Raven trainers from the 41st Fires Brigade trained with Rail Gunner Raven operators and several of 2nd BCT Raven operators to re-certify and obtain more Raven flight time during the two-day re-certification course at House Creek Urban Assault Range located on Fort Hood, Texas, March 10-11.
CNN: The U.S. Military Is Testing Tiny Drones Shaped Like Hummingbirds
March 10, 2011
Hummingbird spy drone tested.
Fox News: New Drones Mimic Nature
March 01, 2011
ABC World News Bird’s Eye View At AeroVironment’s Nano Hummingbird
February 19, 2011
A Bird's Eye View
A robotic hummingbird may soon be the Pentagon's latest weapon.
Jay Leno Installs An AeroVironment EV Charger For His Chevy Volt In His Big Dog Garage
February 18, 2011
Made in America: Electric Charging System
It comes in a little box, it's not heavy at all, it installs in an hour or so... that's right it's your very own electric charging dock for your electric vehicle! Now you can go from discharged to full charge in three hours or less!
Fortune Magazine: From Electric Cars To Military Ops
February 17, 2011
General Motors pulled the plug on its first electric car, but supplier AeroVironment used some of that experience to build a very different kind of vehicle for the U.S. military.
AeroVironment, a firm based in Monrovia, Calif., whose products include gear for electric, hydrogen, and hybrid cars, is applying its environmentally friendly research to a technology that at first blush might make some tree huggers tremble: a military drone that could be used to assist in battle.
LA Times: It’s a bird! It’s a spy! It’s both
February 17, 2011
Backed by the Pentagon's research arm, Monrovia firm AeroVironment has developed the Nano Hummingbird, an experimental miniature drone that could one day do reconnaissance by landing on a window ledge.
A pocket-size drone dubbed the Nano Hummingbird for the way it flaps its tiny robotic wings has been developed for the Pentagon by a Monrovia company as a mini-spy plane capable of maneuvering on the battlefield and in urban areas.
The battery-powered drone was built by AeroVironment Inc. for the Pentagon's research arm as part of a series of experiments in nanotechnology. The little flying machine is built to look like a bird for potential use in spy missions.
CNN Money: Tiny Spy Planes, Big Business
February 11, 2011
Soldiers use small, remote-controlled airplanes made by California-based Aerovironment to spy on enemies in battle.
Smaller Is Better For Army UAS
February 04, 2011
The US Army wants to increase dramatically the number of small unmanned aircraft in the hands of its solders (you can read Amy Butler's story here). Where now there are 17 RQ-11 Ravens in a brigade combat team (BCT), the Army plans to increase this to 49 "family of systems" SUAS.
Initially the family will comprise AeroVironment's 4.2lb Raven plus its bigger 13lb Puma and smaller 0.95lb Wasp, but the Army has its eye on a new family of systems. And it could be big business.
AeroVironment Receives Award For Bay Area Electric Car Charging Stations
February 02, 2011
Hoping to spur the purchase and use of new electric vehicles, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District is awarding $3.9 million to four California-based companies to boost installation of private and public charging stations around the region.
With Nissan rolling out the all-electric Leaf and Chevrolet selling plug-in hybrid Volt, the nine-county agency plans to fund 30 public fast-charge systems to extend the range of those and other electric vehicles, district representatives said.
It also plans to offer $700 rebates to the first 2,750 consumers who come on board to help fund personal residential charging equipment to new electric car owners.
