AeroVironment acquires fellow unmanned aircraft maker for $200M
An AeroVironment electric vehicle charging station Photo by Smith Collection / Gado/ Getty Images
By
Ross Wilkers
This move follows the $4.1 billion purchase of BlueHalo and continues AeroVironment's push for quicker transitions of technologies from design to fielding.
AeroVironment has acquired a fellow maker of unmanned aircraft systems and air mobility platforms for approximately $200 million in cash and stock as part of a push to incorporate more rapid prototyping work.
Empirical Systems Aerospace opened for business in 2003 to cover several aspects of the manufacturing process including design, propulsion system development, aircraft modifications, sub-scale demonstrators and full-scale aircraft production. ESAero also develops electric and hybrid propulsion systems for the aircraft.
Through this transaction announced Monday, AV is looking to enhance its abilities in transitioning technologies from design to advanced manufacturing, and then fielding amid the Defense Department’s push to field systems quicker.
“ESAero’s capabilities are vital to addressing the urgent demands of a fast-growing defense tech market, where emerging needs are driving next-generation innovation and product development,” AV’s chief executive Wahid Nawabi said in a release.
ESAero also brings to AeroVironment a 32,000-square-foot design and prototyping facility, plus a 53,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. Both are in San Luis Obispo, California, and are supported by other integration and test facilities in the region.
The $200 million transaction value figure breaks out to roughly $160 million in stock and the remainder in cash, subject to post-closing adjustments and holdbacks. ESAero will become a part of AV’s loitering munition systems business unit, which is a part of the precision strike and defense systems segment.
For AV, its purchase of ESAero follows the $4.1 billion all-stock acquisition of BlueHalo that closed in the spring of 2025.