The Canadian department of national defense has selected a team of AeroVironment and Maxar Technologies‘ MDA subsidiary to provide small unmanned aerial systems for deployment aboard the Canadian navy’s maritime coastal defense vessels. AeroVironment said Wednesday the military service will receive Puma II AE mini UAS equipped with 360-degree antenna and Mantis i45 sensor systems designed to support […] More

Unmanned aircraft systems maker AeroVironment and Japan-based telecommunications company SoftBank have formed a joint venture to build a high-altitude, long-endurance UAS for commercial operations. HAPSMobile is 95 percent owned by SoftBank and 5 percent owned by AeroVironment, the latter company said Wednesday. AeroVironment will contribute $5 million in capital to secure 5 percent ownership of the joint venture, with the option to […] More

AeroVironment has begun to update its two small unmanned aircraft system offerings in an effort to increase the performance of both platforms in rugged and complex environments. The company said Monday Puma AE and Raven upgrades will include durability enhancements and new digital data link security tools designed for radio electronic warfare and cyber operations. “In […] More

The U.S. Navy has awarded AeroVironment a potential $2.6 million contract to continue the production tube-launched unmanned aerial vehicles and associated equipment. AeroVironment  said Monday it will provide multiple Blackwing UAVs along with sensor payloads and refurbishment kits to the service branch. The company aims to deliver the initial batch of vehicles by May 2018 and complete all deliveries by November next year. […] More

AeroVironment has supplied two Defense Department customers with company-built Raven and Puma AE unmanned aircraft systems that are compatible with M1/M2/M5 radio frequencies. The company said Tuesday it will also begin to offer M1/M2/M5-configured Wasp AE micro air vehicles in December then conduct deliveries in spring 2018. David Sharpin, vice president of AeroVironment’s tactical UAS business unit, […] More

AeroVironment has introduced a long-range tracking antenna the company designed to increase the data transmission capacity of its Puma AE unmanned aircraft system. The company said Tuesday the LRTA upgrade supports Puma systems equipped with Digital Data Link technology and seeks to help operators collect intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data at a range of approximately 37 miles. […] More

AeroVironment has secured a potential 10-year, $36.5 million contract from Australia’s defense department to deliver small unmanned aircraft systems as well as training and logistics support. The company said Thursday it will integrate Australian content into the WASP AE UAS to meet the country’s military and industry needs. AeroVironment will work with XTEK, General Dynamics‘ Mediaware subsidiary and Sentient Vision […] More

AeroVironment has debuted a rugged miniature unmanned aircraft system the company designed to aid close-range military intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Snipe Nano Quad is equipped with electro-optical/infrared, low-light-capable and long-wave infrared sensors and an integrated tilt mechanism for the transmission of images and record real-time video in daytime and nighttime operations, AeroVironment said Tuesday. “No assembly is required for the five-ounce […] More

AeroVironment and California State University in Fresno have commenced a year-long research effort to determine how the use of unmanned aerial vehicle imagery and analytics can help detect levels of water stress in almond trees. The company said Wednesday that it will deploy a Puma UAV equipped with a 24-megapixel photogrammetric camera and six-channel multispectral sensor to capture data from orchards […] More

AeroVironment has unveiled an integrated commercial information system comprised of a drone and a cloud-based data analytics platform that will work to generate actionable intelligence in real time. The Quantix drone is designed to combine vertical liftoff and horizontal flight functions as well as “land now” and “return home” command safety features, AeroVironment company said Tuesday. AeroVironment added its Decision Support System uses research and algorithms […] More

AeroVironment has been awarded a $10.3 million contract by the Netherlands ministry of defense to provide small unmanned aircraft systems and digital data link upgrade services to the Dutch military. The company said Monday it will refresh the DDL system for the Dutch forces’ Raven B, Puma AE  and Wasp AE vehicles as well as ground control systems under the contract. The Netherlands’ defense […] More

AeroVironment has released a new launch system that will work to allow remote deployments of the company’s Switchblade Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile System and Blackwing tube-launched unmanned aircraft system. The company said Tuesday the Multi-Pack Launcher supports integration at forward operating bases and tactical ground vehicles to help provide incoming fire and force protection and on-the-go intelligence, surveillance and […] More