News & Articles

• AeroVironment’s combat proven Switchblade with patented wave-off feature provides operators with increased lethality, reach and precision strike capabilities with low collateral effects
• First year of funding approved through Joint Urgent Operational Need Statement, reflecting high-priority requirement and strong user demand from the frontline
• AeroVironment provides full system solution, including Switchblade systems, operator training, support and logistics

SIMI VALLEY, Calif., at vSOFIC, May 14, 2020 – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), announced the receipt of a one-year, $75,930,901 funded contract award on April 30, 2020 from the United States Army for procurement of the company’s Switchblade® loitering missile system. The contract award was funded for the first year of procurement through a Joint Urgent Operational Need Statement from the United States Army Tactical Aviation and Ground Munitions (TAGM) project office. Start of deliveries is anticipated by September 2020. Two additional one-year options, currently unfunded, would extend the period of performance through April 2023 on a sole-source basis.

• Contract includes spares to support customer’s existing fleet of tactical unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and adoption of Puma LE (Long Endurance) 
• Puma LE provides Group 2 features in a Group 1 footprint, 5.5-hour endurance and persistent data with increased time on station in an economical two-case mission packout
• Customer is one of more than 45 allied governments employing AeroVironment’s innovative family of tactical UAS

SIMI VALLEY, Calif., at vSOFIC, May 12, 2020 – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), today announced that a U.S. ally and longtime customer awarded the company a firm-fixed-price contract valued at $2,685,057 on February 20, 2020 for AeroVironment’s recently introduced Puma™ LE. The order also included spares to support the customer’s existing fleet of AeroVironment tactical UAS. The contract award period of performance is one year.

Their job is to test and operate drones for possible use by the Royal Navy.

And 700X Naval Air Squadron have been working hard over the past few months to trial unmanned equipment and its suitability for future operations. Based at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose, 700X has taken to the sea in the latest step of its pioneering adventure into remotely-piloted air systems. They headed out for a week of trials on board the fishery protection ship HMS Mersey. 700X commanding officer Lieutenant Commander Justin Matthews said it was a hugely exciting time to be at the cutting-edge of UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) technology.

The helicopter developed in Simi Valley by AeroVironment Inc. that will be aboard the next Mars Rover has a name – Ingenuity.

The name was announced Wednesday by NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, who chose it from a submission by Alabama high school student Vaneeza Rupani.

“Ingenuity encapsulates the values that our helicopter tech demo will showcase for everyone when it takes off next year as the first aircraft on another planet’s surface,” Bridenstine said in a statement. “It took a lot of hard and ingenious work to get the helicopter ready and then placed on the rover, and there’s a lot more going to be required.”

Attention toward technology often favors the big, shiny and super-equipped. This may be especially true for military UAS, where airline-sized RQ-4 Global Hawks, heavily-armed Reapers and other frontline fliers attract the spotlight.

But say you have an intel team operating in remote areas when you need high resolution, up-to-date maps and don’t have an internet connection? Or when that team is working independent of a large base and needs to conduct bomb damage assessment without revealing its position? And what if the operators don’t have all that much UAS experience in the first place?

• Quantix Recon delivers on-demand, georeferenced aerial imagery, providing quick visibility for on-site mission planning and verification
• Fully-Automated, hybrid vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) design and radio frequency silent mode enable aircraft to conduct missions undetected
• Powerful onboard processing delivers high-resolution imagery immediately on the included operating tablet upon landing – no other devices, internet or software required

SIMI VALLEY, Calif., April 23, 2020 – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), today announced the availability of Quantix™ Recon, a lightweight, rapidly deployable, fully-automated reconnaissance solution that delivers high resolution, georeferenced terrain, vegetation and infrastructure imagery, providing ground forces with on-demand actionable intelligence.

A just-announced contract for the U.S. Navy and Marines to expand use of AeroVironment’s Puma™ sUAS continues the company’s success with small unmanned tactical aircraft systems.

The $10.68 million fixed-price contract will purchase Puma™ 3 AE [All Environment] systems and spares for the Navy and the Marine Corps Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program. The agreement was signed in February; delivery is anticipated imminently.

• Raven lightweight small unmanned aircraft system is designed for rapid deployment, delivering real-time tactical situational awareness to warfighters
• United States Department of Defense Foreign Military Sales program facilitates interoperability among U.S. and allied forces
• AeroVironment’s innovative family of tactical UAS are deployed by more than 45 allied governments

SIMI VALLEY, Calif., April 14, 2020 – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), today announced it received a $2,424,595 firm-fixed-price contract on March 3, 2020 to provide Raven® small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and training to an allied nation. Delivery is anticipated by August 2020.

• Award builds on the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps ongoing use of Puma 3 All Environment (AE) small unmanned aircraft systems for persistent situational awareness and force protection as well as expeditionary reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) 
• Puma 3 AE UAS deliver immediate tactical RSTA in maritime and land-based operations
• AeroVironment’s family of tactical UAS comprises the majority of all unmanned aircraft in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) inventory; deployed by more than 45 allied governments

SIMI VALLEY, Calif., April 7, 2020 – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), today announced its receipt of a $10,677,987 firm-fixed-price contract award for Puma™ 3 AE systems and spares on Feb. 18, 2020 for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems (SUAS) Program. Delivery is anticipated by April 2020.

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. and RALEIGH, N.C., March 17, 2020 – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), and Draganfly (CSE: DFLY) (OTCQB: DFLYF) (FSE: 3U8), an award-winning, industry-leading manufacturer within the commercial unmanned aerial systems (“UAS”), remotely piloted aircraft systems (“RPAS”), and unmanned vehicle sectors, today announced a teaming agreement for Draganfly’s distribution of AeroVironment’s Quantix Mapper systems to commercial markets worldwide. The agreement also includes the continuation of other contract engineering services provided by Draganfly to AeroVironment.