AeroVironment

About AeroVironment

AeroVironment is a defense technology company that designs and builds robotic systems for air, land, and space. It’s a leader in the world of unmanned systems, providing everything from small "kamikaze" drones to high-altitude surveillance aircraft for the U.S. military and its allies. The company was founded in 1971 by the visionary aeronautical engineer Dr. Paul B. MacCready, Jr. Initially, AeroVironment wasn't a defense contractor. Its early fame came from groundbreaking achievements in human-powered and solar-powered flight, like the Gossamer Condor, which won the first Kremer Prize in 1977. The pivot toward military applications began in the 1980s when the company developed its first hand-launched drone for reconnaissance. This laid the groundwork for what would become its core business. Throughout the 2000s, AeroVironment won major U.S. Department of Defense contracts, establishing its family of small unmanned aircraft systems—like the Raven, Puma, and Wasp—as battlefield standards. A key innovation was the Switchblade loitering munition, which created a new category of weapon by combining surveillance with a precision strike capability. AeroVironment went public on the NASDAQ in January 2007 under the ticker symbol AVAV. In recent years, the company has pursued an aggressive growth strategy to diversify its portfolio. It made a series of acquisitions, including robotics company Telerob and drone-maker Arcturus UAV. More significantly, it completed a massive $4.1 billion acquisition of BlueHalo in 2025, a developer of space, counter-UAS, and directed energy technologies. This was followed by the acquisition of Empirical Systems Aerospace (ESAero) in 2026. Today, AeroVironment is transforming from a specialized drone manufacturer into a broad defense technology provider, integrating capabilities across multiple domains. With a focus on autonomous systems and a growing backlog of contracts, the company is positioned to be a key player in the future of modern warfare.