VAPOR® 55 MX
04/02/2026
Solution: VAPOR® 55 MX
Press Release
AV Expands Presence in Europe with New UK Office, Coproduction Agreement to Support Defence Market
09/10/2025
LONDON, England, September 10, 2025 – AeroVironment, Inc. (“AV”) (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in all-domain uncrewed systems and defence technologies, today announced the opening of its new office in Hereford, United Kingdom. The facility is strategically located to bring the full spectrum of the company’s capabilities to the UK and European defence markets, extending AV’s global operations.
The new location will host a diverse team representing various AV product lines, including Tomahawk Ground Control Systems (GCS), small uncrewed aircraft systems (sUAS), medium uncrewed aircraft systems (MUAS), and ground-based systems. The specialized team will focus on driving innovation, providing operational support, and strengthening AV’s growing regional presence.
“We are intentionally investing and expanding in the UK to strengthen our global network and better collaborate with our key European defence customers–all with a mission of driving innovative, next-generation solutions to our warfighters and allies,” said Trace Stevenson, president of Autonomous Systems at AV. “From our Tomahawk GCS to our industry-leading precision strike and defensive systems, AV’s cutting-edge, integrated, reliable, and agile solutions are meeting the evolving needs of our customers worldwide.”
In addition to opening its new facility, AV is announcing a coproduction agreement with TIA Group to begin UK-based manufacturing operations. Located in Aerotech Business Park in Cheltenham, England, TIA will produce AV’s Tomahawk GCS Grip 23 TE controller – a rugged human-machine integrated controller for all-domain uncrewed operations and situational awareness for diverse missions. TIA is an experienced mechanical and electronic manufacturer with proven success in delivering specialized solutions to the UK Government, UK Ministry of Defence (MOD), and NATO customers.
“TIA Group is proud to have established a strong partnership with AV, positioning us to fully support their expansion into the UK and regional markets,” said David G. Watson MBE, Managing Director of TIA Group. “This significant collaboration milestone will broaden AV’s reach and enable the delivery of a responsive, first-class service, providing best-in-class AV products to UKMOD, our European partners, and allied nations. By leveraging TIA Group’s expertise in design, development, and manufacturing here in the UK, we will continue to provide customers worldwide with the agility and innovation they need.”
“Our expansion across the UK not only cements the Tomahawk Grip as a cornerstone for our growth in regional markets but also enhances our ability to deliver the broader family of AV systems to our global allies with scale and speed,” said Jason Hendrix, AV’s vice president and general manager of Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems. “Through strong partnerships with industry leaders like TIA and key customers like the UK MOD and other NATO allies, we are establishing a foundation for future expansion to meet the evolving needs of the global defence industry.”
About AeroVironment, Inc.
AeroVironment (“AV”) (NASDAQ: AVAV) is a defense technology leader delivering integrated capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. The Company develops and deploys autonomous systems, loitering munitions, counter-UAS technologies, space-based platforms, directed energy systems, and cyber and electronic warfare capabilities—built to meet the mission needs of today’s warfighter and tomorrow’s conflicts. At the core of these technologies lies AV_Halo, a modular, mission-ready suite of AI-powered software tools that empowers warfighters and enables full-battlefield dominance: detect, decide, deliver. With a national manufacturing footprint and a deep innovation pipeline, AV delivers proven systems and future-defining capabilities at speed, scale, and operational relevance. For more information, visit www.avinc.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
Certain statements in this press release may constitute “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are made on the basis of current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental and technological factors outside of our control, that may cause our business, strategy or actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, our ability to perform under existing contracts and obtain additional contracts; changes in the regulatory environment; the activities of competitors; failure of the markets in which we operate to grow; failure to expand into new markets; failure to develop new products or integrate new technology with current products; and general economic and business conditions in the United States and elsewhere in the world. For a further list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see the reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We do not intend, and undertake no obligation, to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contact:
AeroVironment
+1.703.418.2828
pr@avinc.com
Press Release
AeroVironment Announces First Successful Multi-Drop, Live Fire GPS-Guided Shryke Munitions from a VAPOR 55 MX Unmanned Aircraft System
01/09/2024
ARLINGTON, Va., January 09, 2024 – AeroVironment, Inc. announced today the first successful multi-drop, live fire GPS-guided Shryke munitions from the VAPOR® 55 MX, all-electric unmanned aircraft system in collaboration with Corvid and L3Harris Technologies. The VAPOR 55 MX carried four rounds simultaneously and flawlessly showcased the live fire effects of this capability. The integration of Shryke munitions on the VAPOR 55 MX allows for multiple targets to be designated in one single flight. “Shryke’s size and weight make it the ideal choice for the weaponized VAPOR 55 MX. The lethality of a 40mm anti-armor modular warhead paired with a lightweight glider provides a highly effective, low-collateral damage solution to the front lines,” said Kyle Bowen, Corvid’s Shryke business development director.
Shryke, developed by Corvid Technologies and L3Harris Technologies, is known for its versatile, multi-mission precision strike capability, meeting the requirement to stay within 1-2 meters of the designated target. Equipped with a MIL-STD-1316 Electronic Safe and Arm Device (ESAD), L3Harris’ integrator guarantees safety-critical initiation-on-command for energetic systems and facilitates the secure post-flight recovery of remaining installed munitions. “Collaborating with our partners to develop the multi-drop Shryke payload to integrate seamlessly with the Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) design of the VAPOR 55 MX gives us a real market advantage. Quick integration for the warfighter continues to be our top priority,” said Jason Wright, AeroVironment’s senior product line manager.
The open software and hardware architecture provides added versatility to the VAPOR 55 MX and continues to allow customers to integrate third-party payloads of their choice without being impacted by excessive non-recurring engineering costs and schedule delays.
Solutions
Press Release
AeroVironment Introduces Next-Generation All-Electric VAPOR 55 MX Helicopter Unmanned Aircraft System, Built for Heavier Payloads and Longer Distances
09/13/2022
- Next-generation VAPOR 55 delivers more simplified, modular design with performance improvements that optimize user experience
- Redesigned for increased levels of operational efficiency with 25 percent increased endurance and 20 percent increased payload capacity
- New payload interface and tool-free quick rail mount enables quick and easy field integration of both current and future payloads for increased mission flexibility
ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 13, 2022 – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in intelligent, multi-domain robotic systems, today announced the launch of the next-generation VAPOR® Helicopter unmanned aircraft system (UAS), VAPOR 55 MX. Delivering new levels of operational performance with a completely redesigned modular autonomy framework, VAPOR 55 MX enables increased endurance and expanded payload capacity to meet current and emerging needs of defense, commercial and industrial customers.
“The new VAPOR 55 MX is an easy-to-maintain system that incorporates a highly versatile modular architecture and tool-free rail system for simple, efficient integration of third-party or custom payloads, allowing users to adapt to multi-sensor, multi-mission requirements including utility inspection, aerial surveying, public safety and defense applications,” said Trace Stevenson, AeroVironment vice president and product line general manager for small UAS.
Built on the class-leading endurance and payload weight performance of its predecessor, VAPOR 55 MX features a new sleek and efficient low-profile design that enables the helicopter UAS to stay in the air 25 percent longer and operate in all weather. VAPOR 55 MX is heavy-lift capable and its increased usable payload capacity allows users to choose from single or multiple payload configurations.
This expansive modular payload bay can carry up to 12 pounds of payload with more than 70 minutes of flight endurance while still maintaining the 55-pound gross take-off weight (GTOW) restricted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for commercial customers. For military customers that require more take-off weight, VAPOR 55 MX is capable of a 65-pound GTOW and can carry up to 22 pounds of usable payloads with a reduced endurance trade-off, nearing the edge of Group 3 weight class.
To learn more about the all-electric VAPOR 55 MX Helicopter UAS, visit www.avinc.com/uas/vapor.