Arthur McMiler
Defense technology company AeroVironment is opening a new manufacturing facility for next-generation autonomous systems in Salt Lake City, Utah. Called FreedomWerx, the facility is expected to start operations in the second half of 2025, AV said Thursday.
Wahid Nawabi, AV chairman, president and chief executive officer, described the facility’s establishment as “a critical step” in the company’s mission to expand production capacity and ensure the technological superiority of U.S. forces against adversaries.
“AeroVironment’s autonomous precision-strike systems have revolutionized modern warfare, providing warfighters with the ability to neutralize high-value threats with unprecedented accuracy while minimizing risk to friendly forces,” the AV executive remarked.
Distributed Production Strategy
According to the company, FreedomWerx in Utah is part of its distributed production strategy to ensure uninterrupted supply to government customers and defense partners. The new facility is located near the Salt Lake City International Airport, providing access to vital transportation hubs and maximizing supply chain and logistics efficiencies, AV added.
The company also noted that its distributed production model of multiple, strategically located manufacturing sites contributes to national security through resilient manufacturing and sustainable supply of mission-critical autonomous systems.
Besides the new Utah site, AV’s U.S. footprint includes locations in California, Alabama, Kansas, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, according to the company’s LinkedIn page. The Arlington, Virginia-based company also operates in Stuttgart, Germany, following its 2021 acquisition of Telerob, a ground robotics vehicle developer.
