Mission Specialist Wraith Signals AeroVironment’s Next Step in Compact Unmanned Underwater Systems Capability

January 13, 2026

POTTSTOWN, PA — (January 13, 2026) — AeroVironment Inc. (“AV”) (NASDAQ: AVAV), a leading provider of all domain autonomous systems, today announced the launch of the Mission Specialist Wraith, the newest addition to the Mission Specialist Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) series developed by its wholly owned subsidiary, VideoRay. Designed for demanding subsea operations, Wraith delivers a new level of agility, power, and control in a compact, expeditionary-ready platform. 

Engineered for extreme agility and precision in challenging subsea environments, Wraith delivers true six-degree-of-freedom maneuverability through 10 vectored thrusters, allowing it to hold any attitude—vertical, inverted, or fully rolled—while maintaining stability, power, and control in strong currents and at depth. The platform supports a wide range of payloads, including advanced imaging, navigation, and manipulation tools, making it well suited for subsea inspection, defense, and scientific missions. 

“Modern operations increasingly depend on access, awareness, and freedom of maneuver below the surface,” said Chris Gibson, Chief Executive Officer at VideoRay. “Wraith gives forces a compact, rapidly deployable system that delivers the precision and control once reserved for much larger vehicles, helping operators extend reach, reduce risk to personnel, and respond faster in complex maritime environments. It expands what compact UUVs can achieve while improving overall mission efficiency.” 

Built on VideoRay’s proven open-architecture Mission Specialist design philosophy, Wraith enables rapid reconfiguration, seamless third-party integration, and simplified field serviceability. With up to 80 pounds of forward thrust and simultaneous lift, the platform enables rapid direct-to-target transit and precise station-keeping, even in high-current environments. 

The newly released Mission Specialist Wraith Expeditionary configuration marks the first step in a planned spiral development for the product. Future iterations will expand depth capability, payload capacity, endurance, and system flexibility, ensuring the Wraith platform continues to evolve alongside customer requirements and emerging technologies. 

Details regarding VideoRay’s Mission Specialist Wraith are available at: 
https://videoray.com/products/mission-specialist-wraith 

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