UAV Manufacturer Bolsters Airbus Drone Bonafides

Airbus Helicopters and Aerovel have signed an agreement that will bring Aerovel into the Airbus fold.

The new acquisition will add Aerovel's Flexrotor to the Airbus portfolio, falling neatly into the company's desire to strengthen its portfolio of tactical unmanned solutions. The Flexrotor platform is a small tactical UAS designed for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance missions at sea and over land. Its vertical takeoff and landing capability and 50+ pound max gross allow for 12 hours of endurance in typical configuration. A variety of payloads and electro-optics can be installed for a variety of missions, too - a modular aspect of the design that will undoubtedly find additional options under Airbus care.

"We are looking forward to welcoming Aerovel into the Airbus family. This strategic acquisition aligns with our vision to expand our UAS offering and respond to a growing customer demand worldwide for additional mission capabilities such as manned-unmanned teaming. Aerovel's expertise in autonomous flight technology will undoubtedly complement our UAS development with the VSR700, as well as the work that we have been doing to develop interoperability,” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters.

"Joining forces with Airbus will allow us to scale innovation, accelerate our mission to advance unmanned aviation, and maintain our unwavering support for the US military and its allies. We are proud to become part of an organisation with a rich legacy of aerospace excellence and we look forward to leveraging our combined strengths to define the future of autonomous systems. It will also be a great tribute to our Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Tad McGeer, who has spent the last 30 years committed to delivering innovative unmanned products,” said Ali Dian, CEO of Aerovel.

FMI: www.airbus.com