Plotted by close date where disclosed, otherwise announcement. Select any marker to jump to the deal entry.
Three patterns run through AeroVironment's acquisitions — what it looks for, how it pays, and how it folds in what it buys.
7 acquisitions — each with the deal value, financing structure, target revenue, and executive commentary where disclosed.
AeroVironment acquired Pulse Aerospace, LLC, a Lawrence, Kansas-based developer and supplier of small vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) unmanned aircraft systems. Pulse's HeliSynth technology delivers flight control, payload and endurance capabilities for defense and commercial end markets, and its Vapor VTOL line had just won a multi-year contract worth up to more than $13 million from an undisclosed defense customer. AeroVironment paid $25.7 million in cash, including up to $5 million of milestone-based earn-out payments, entirely from cash on hand.
The talented Pulse Aerospace team has created a solution set that is unique and will expand our family of unmanned systems by addressing increasing demand from our customers for small VTOL solutions.Wahid Nawabi — President and CEO, AeroVironment
AeroVironment's global market presence dramatically increases the reach of Pulse's VTOL UAS technology. Pulse's offering expands AeroVironment's mission capabilities with increased payload capacity, which broadens customer use cases.Aaron Lessig — CEO, Pulse Aerospace
Pulse Aerospace's Lawrence, Kansas facility became the AeroVironment Innovation Center - Midwest, focused on small VTOL unmanned aircraft and mission-planning solutions.
AeroVironment purchased the assets of, and assumed certain liabilities of, the Intelligent Systems Group (ISG) of Progeny Systems Corporation, a Manassas, Virginia-based developer of AI-enabled computer vision, machine learning and perceptive-autonomy technologies for U.S. government customers. Founded in 2006, ISG had more than $10 million in fiscal 2020 revenue and 40 employees. AeroVironment paid a $30 million base cash purchase price plus an earn-out of up to $6 million over three years; the first-year target released $2 million in fiscal 2022 and the second- and third-year targets released a further $2 million each in fiscal 2023. $30 million (plus up to $6 million earn-out).
Acquiring ISG will enhance the intelligence of our growing, multi-domain robotic systems portfolio, increase customer-funded research and development revenue and deepen our relationships with strategically important customers.Wahid Nawabi — President and CEO, AeroVironment
The people, skills, and technologies that each company has are extremely complementary and will bring big benefits to the warfighter.Walt Kitonis — CEO, Progeny Systems
The Manassas facility became AeroVironment's Artificial Intelligence Innovation Center; all 40 ISG employees continued in their roles and merged with the MacCready Works Advanced Solutions team.
AeroVironment acquired Arcturus UAV, Inc., a Petaluma, California-based provider of Group 2 and Group 3 unmanned aircraft systems and services. Founded in 2004 with about 270 employees, Arcturus designs and manufactures medium-endurance UAS such as the JUMP-20 VTOL system and the catapult-launched T-20, and provides contractor-owned, contractor-operated (COCO) services. It was a leading supplier to U.S. Special Operations Command's MEUAS programs and one of four awardees on the U.S. Army's Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) program. The total purchase price was $405 million in cash and stock; AeroVironment financed part of the cash consideration with a new $200 million term loan and a $100 million revolver from Bank of America. $405 million (approximately $422.6 million net of cash acquired at closing).
We are excited about the opportunities for value creation through our acquisition of Arcturus UAV, which will enable us to accelerate our growth strategy and expand our reach into the more valuable Group 2 and 3 UAS segments.Wahid Nawabi — President and CEO, AeroVironment
AeroVironment's depth of experience in UAS and tactical missile systems, international presence, and impressive team is a natural fit for Arcturus UAV, and will create substantial opportunities to build on our strong momentum.D'Milo Hallerberg — President and CEO, Arcturus UAV
Arcturus contributed about $15.8 million of revenue between the February 19, 2021 close and AeroVironment's April 30, 2021 fiscal year-end; adjustment and indemnification escrows were released to the sellers during fiscal 2022.
AeroVironment acquired Telerob, a German provider of unmanned ground robotic solutions based in Ostfildern near Stuttgart, with a U.S. office in Erie, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1994, Telerob makes the telemax and tEODor EVO families of unmanned ground vehicles plus fully equipped transport vehicles and training, repair and support services used for explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), hazardous-materials handling and CBRN threat assessment. AeroVironment paid approximately $45.4 million (€37.5 million) in cash and paid off about $9.4 million of Telerob debt at closing, with an earn-out of up to about $7.3 million over three years. The company later paid ~$46.2 million net of cash acquired. Approximately $45.4 million (€37.5 million).
Acquiring Telerob marks a significant step toward achieving AeroVironment's goal of offering an integrated portfolio of intelligent, multi-domain robotic solutions in response to evolving threat environments and customer requirements for more effective, rapid and cost-effective capabilities.Wahid Nawabi — President and CEO, AeroVironment
AeroVironment is a leader in unmanned systems, with a compelling vision for integrated robotic solutions that Telerob can help to achieve. We are excited to become part of the AeroVironment team.Norbert Gebbeken — Managing Director, Telerob
AeroVironment paid approximately €37.5 million (~$46.2 million net of cash) at the May 3, 2021 close; the first-year earn-out revenue target was subsequently achieved.
AeroVironment acquired certain assets of Planck Aerosystems, Inc., a San Diego, California-based provider of advanced unmanned-aircraft navigation and flight-autonomy solutions. Its ACE (Autonomous Control Engine) enables safe autonomous takeoff and landing from moving platforms on land or at sea in GPS-denied environments, and its AVEM product is a fully integrated mobile tethered sensor platform for persistent autonomous operation from moving vehicles and vessels. AeroVironment paid a total purchase price of $5.105 million from cash on hand plus a $500,000 holdback, and incorporated Planck into its medium UAS (MUAS) segment. $5.105 million (plus a $0.5 million holdback).
Planck was incorporated into the MUAS segment to integrate its flight-autonomy solutions such as ACE into AeroVironment's product offerings; results were not significant to fiscal 2023.
AeroVironment acquired Tomahawk Robotics, Inc., a Melbourne, Florida-based leader in AI-enabled robotic common control systems, via a merger for a total purchase price of $120 million in cash and stock. Founded in 2018 by Brad Truesdell and Matt Summer, Tomahawk built the Kinesis Ecosystem, an AI-enhanced, open-architecture common control system that integrates unmanned vehicles, sensors and third-party software onto a single interface; Kinesis had already been integrated into AeroVironment's Raven B and Puma 3 AE small UAS in 2022.
The acquisition of Tomahawk Robotics will not only provide AeroVironment with strong new members of our team, but a quality brand and products that are widely respected in the industry.Wahid Nawabi — Chairman, President and CEO, AeroVironment
Joining AeroVironment means our solutions will have a broader reach and the opportunity to be optimized by not only AeroVironment's family of systems, but the broader robotics community, better enabling warfighters across the globe.Brad Truesdell — CEO, Tomahawk Robotics
Tomahawk became part of the SUAS business unit within AeroVironment's Unmanned Systems segment, with its entire workforce and existing Florida facilities retained and products kept platform-agnostic.
AeroVironment merged with BlueHalo LLC, an Arlington Capital Partners portfolio company founded in 2019, in an all-stock transaction with an enterprise value of approximately $4.1 billion. BlueHalo provides space technologies, counter-uncrewed aircraft systems (cUAS), directed energy, electronic warfare, cyber, AI and other emerging technologies, with programs including its LOCUST laser weapon system, the BADGER space program and Titan RF counter-UAS systems. BlueHalo estimated more than $900 million of 2024 revenue with nearly $600 million of funded backlog. The combination created a diversified defense-technology company expected to deliver more than $1.7 billion of pro forma revenue and roughly 3,750 employees. Approximately $4.1 billion (enterprise value, all-stock).
For over 50 years, AV has pioneered innovative solutions on the battlefield, and today we are poised to usher in the next era of defense technology through our combination with BlueHalo.Wahid Nawabi — Chairman, President and CEO, AeroVironment
By uniting with AV, we are building an organization equipped to meet emerging defense priorities and deliver purpose-driven, state-of-the-art solutions with unmatched speed.Jonathan Moneymaker — CEO, BlueHalo
On closing (May 1, 2025) AeroVironment reorganized into two segments — Autonomous Systems (led by Trace Stevenson) and Space, Cyber and Directed Energy (led by former BlueHalo COO Trip Ferguson) — with more than 3,750 employees; two Arlington Capital Partners directors (David Wodlinger and Henry Albers) joined the board.