Press Releases

AeroVironment Announces Joint Venture and Solar High-Altitude Long-Endurance Unmanned Aircraft System Development Program
January 03, 2018
- Joint venture to fund development and production of solar-powered high-altitude unmanned aircraft systems
- AeroVironment to design and develop solar aircraft and ground control stations for flight testing and certification
- Net value of development contract is $65 million
MONROVIA, Calif.,Jan. 3, 2018–AeroVironment, Inc.(NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for both defense and commercial applications, today announced the formation of a joint venture to develop solar-powered high-altitude long-endurance, or HALE, UAS for commercial operations.This category of UAS is also referred to as high-altitude pseudo-satellites, or HAPS.The joint venture will fund the development program up to a net maximum value of $65,011,481.
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U.S. Navy Awards AeroVironment $2.5 Million Contract for Continuation and Expansion of Blackwing UAS Program
October 09, 2017
- Order including multiple Blackwing™ vehicles, sensor payloads and refurbishment kits to be delivered by November 2018
- Blackwing delivering valuable new capabilities to naval undersea warfare since first deployed last year
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for both military and commercial applications, today announced the receipt of a contract award from the United States Navy on September 29, 2017, for continuation and expansion of its Blackwing™ small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) program. The contract includes orders for multiple Blackwing vehicles, sensor payloads and refurbishment kits for a total value of $2,578,822. The initial set of vehicles are anticipated for delivery by May 2018, and final delivery anticipated by November 2018.
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AeroVironment Upgrading Family of Small UAS; Puma 3 and Raven 3 to Be Unveiled at AUSA Global Force Symposium Next Spring
October 09, 2017
- Puma 3 structural enhancements increase durability, enable concurrent operation of electro-optical (EO)/Infrared (IR) and radio frequency (RF) payloads
- Upgraded avionics modules to provide expanded navigation capabilities in both aircraft
- Digital Data Link (DDL) security enhancements to support operation in challenging electronic warfare (EW) and cyber environments, in addition to current M1/M2/M5 frequencies
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems for both military and commercial applications, today announced that its Puma™ AE and Raven® small unmanned aircraft systems, the most widely deployed UAVs in the United States Department of Defense fleet, are being enhanced with new upgrades. The new aircraft, Puma 3 and Raven 3, will be unveiled at the AUSA Global Force Symposium in March 2018.
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AeroVironment Enhances Its Family of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems with M1/M2/M5 Compatible Digital Data Link (DDL) Products
September 19, 2017
- Raven and Puma AE aircraft now operate with new M1/M2/M5 radios and frequency spectrum, recently allocated to small UAS by the United States Department of Defense (DoD)
- Raven and Puma AE systems equipped with M/1/M2/M5 radios weredelivered to two DoD customers this spring
- AeroVironment also unveiled M1/M2/M5 compatible Pocket DDL AE, designed to operate in all environments
QUANTICO, VA at Modern Day Marine, Sept. 19, 2017– AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for both military and commercial applications, today announced that it has delivered M1/M2/M5-compatible Raven® and Puma™ AE unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to two DoD customers, with more orders and deliveries scheduled. In addition, the company will begin taking orders in December 2017 for M1/M2/M5-configured Wasp® AE micro air vehicles (MAV) for delivery in spring 2018.
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AeroVironment’s New Long-Range Tracking Antenna Significantly Extends Puma AE UAS Capabilities and Enhances Warfighter Safety
September 12, 2017
- Critical upgrade extends range of Puma™ AE systems equipped with AeroVironment’s secure Digital Data Link (DDL) technology to approximately 60 kilometers
- New technology delivers three times the range of current Puma systems
LONDON, at DSEI, Sept. 12, 2017– AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for both military and commercial applications, today announced the release of a new, long-range tracking antenna (LRTA) for its Puma™ AE unmanned aircraft system. The critical upgrade extends the range of Puma systems equipped with AeroVironment’s secure Digital Data Link (DDL™) technology to approximately 60 kilometers (37.28 miles),significantly boosting Puma AE’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities and enhancing warfighter safety.
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AeroVironment Participates in Contract Signing Ceremony for Australian Defence Force Wasp AE Package
July 25, 2017
- Three-year contract includes AeroVironment Wasp® AE systems, plus multi-year training and support
- Australian-based companies XTEK Limited, Sentient Vision Systems and General Dynamics Mediaware to provide added capabilities for Wasp AE and local support
- AeroVironment now supports more than 40 allied countries with its family of small unmanned aircraft systems
Canberra, Australia, July 25, 2017– AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for both military and commercial applications, today participated in a signing ceremony here for the formal execution of contracts (first announced June 1, 2017) to deliver Wasp® AE unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) over a three-year period commencing July 1, 2018.
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Australian Defence Force Selects AeroVironment Wasp® AE for AUD $101 Million Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program
June 01, 2017
- AeroVironment to provide Wasp® AE systems over three years with multi-year training and support
- Total contract value to AeroVironment of up to USD $36.5 million for hardware and services over program lifespan
- Australian partners XTEK, General Dynamics Mediaware and Sentient to provide added capabilities for WASP AE and local support for the Australian Defence Force
MONROVIA, Calif.,June 1, 2017 – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for both military and commercial applications, today announced the selection of the company’s Wasp AE small unmanned aircraft system by the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The ADF Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract calls for the delivery of Wasp AE systems over a three-year period, as well as training and logistics support for up to ten years, for a total AeroVironment contract value of up to USD $36.5 million.
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AeroVironment Begins Full Rate Production and Shipment of Mantis i45 EO/IR Gimbal Sensor Suite for Puma™ AE UAS
May 10, 2017
- Available for military applications, Mantis i45 greatly enhances AeroVironment Puma™ AE small unmanned aircraft systems’ ISR capabilities
- Advanced sensors enable Mantis i45 operators to see better and farther, providing more actionable intelligence for better decision making
- In military operations, Mantis i45 increases the stand-off distance between the Puma AE and an area of interest by up to seven times, reducing the likelihood of detection while delivering high resolution images
DALLAS, at AUVSI XPONENTIAL, May 10, 2017 – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for both military and commercial applications, today announced that its Mantis i45 electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) gimbal sensor suite designed for the AeroVironment Puma AE (All Environment) small UAS is now in full production and shipping to customers. Unveiled last May, the i45 Mantis significantly enhances Puma AE’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.
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AeroVironment, Developer of the Nano Hummingbird, Unveils Snipe™, A New, Stealthy Nano Quadrotor UAS
May 09, 2017
- Launched from the palm of a hand, Snipe™ is worn on operators’ clothing so it can spring into action immediately – first 20 systems delivered in April
- Difficult to detect, Snipe provides close-range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR)
- Simple to use and requires no assembly; operates in challenging and rugged environmental conditions
- Builds on breakthrough robotic Nano Hummingbird developed by AeroVironment for DARPA
DALLAS, at AUVSI XPONENTIAL, May 9, 2017 – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for both military and commercial applications, today officially unveiled the new Snipe Nano Quad, a miniature (“Class 0”) and field-rugged unmanned aircraft system designed to support close-range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The first U.S. government customer delivery of 20 Snipe systems took place in April.
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AeroVironment Advances Research with Farmers and University Partners; Adds Multi-Crop Support to its Intuitive Quantix Drone and Decision Support System
February 14, 2017
- Research program entering third year to expand the agronomic analytics and capabilities of the company’s innovative drone and analytics platform
- AeroVironment growing its library of supported crops to provide targeted analytics with more precision and value to producers in key agriculture markets
- Findings to provide a deeper understanding of how multispectral data can be used to speed awareness and empower faster decisions for greater yields
TULARE, Calif. Feb. 14, 2017, At World Ag Expo – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems for both military and commercial applications, shared details regarding its ongoing pilot programs which are entering their third year and have guided development of the AV DSS platform.The company also displays its Quantix™ drone and AV Decision Support System™ (AV DSS) to World Ag Expo and National Farm Machinery Show attendees this week, highlighting the fully-integrated ecosystem’s powerfully-simple operations and innovative data analytics capabilities.
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