History of AeroVironment in Timeline

AeroVironment (AV) is an American defense technology company, established in 1971 by Paul B. MacCready Jr., specializing in autonomous systems, counter-UAS systems, and space systems. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, it supplies drones, including the Raven, Switchblade, Wasp, and Puma, to the U.S. Department of Defense and foreign militaries. Following its acquisition of BlueHalo in 2025, AV expanded its offerings to include directed energy and space communications systems for both domestic and international military clients.

1971: AeroVironment Founded

In 1971, AeroVironment was founded by Paul B. MacCready Jr., who was a designer of human-powered aircraft.

2000: Formation of Skytower, Inc.

In 2000, AeroVironment established Skytower, Inc. to focus on developing technologies and securing government approvals for utilizing high altitude UAVs as "atmospheric satellites" for high altitude communications relay platforms.

July 2002: NASA/AeroVironment UAV Pathfinder Plus Carries Communications Relay Equipment

In July 2002, the NASA/AeroVironment UAV Pathfinder Plus carried commercial communications relay equipment developed by Skytower to test using the aircraft as an "atmospheric satellite".

2007: IDIQ Contract from U.S. Air Force

In 2007, AeroVironment secured a five-year, $4.7 million IDIQ (indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity) contract from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory for the development of UAV propulsion technologies. The contract encompassed specific tasks such as integrating solar cells into aircraft wings, enhancing electric motor efficiency, and developing hydrogen storage systems.

January 2021: Acquisition of Arcturus UAV

In January 2021, AeroVironment acquired Arcturus UAV, the manufacturer of the Arcturus T-20 UAV, for US$405 million.

2023: Israel Requests Switchblade 600 Attack Drones

In 2023, Israel submitted a request to the US Department of Defense for 200 Switchblade 600 attack drones.

January 7, 2024: Sanctioned by China

On January 7, 2024, AeroVironment was sanctioned by the Chinese government in response to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.

March 4, 2025: Placed on Export Control List

On March 4, 2025, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce placed AeroVironment and 14 other U.S. entities on its export control list, effectively barring the export of dual-use commodities to the company.

May 2025: Acquisition of BlueHalo Completed

In May 2025, AeroVironment announced that it had completed its acquisition of BlueHalo, a space, cyber, and counter-UAS defense technologies developer, from Arlington Capital Partners, in an all-stock deal valued at approximately $4.1 billion.

2025: Acquisition of BlueHalo

In 2025, AeroVironment acquired BlueHalo, thus expanding its offerings with directed energy and space communications systems for the U.S. and foreign militaries.