AeroVironment,
Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), the world’s highest volume manufacturer of
unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), and Eurocopter,
the leading global helicopter manufacturer, today announced at the
Association of the United States Army annual meeting that they have
signed a cooperative agreement to explore opportunities for expanding
their respective military and commercial product portfolios.
“The combination of AeroVironment’s market leading unmanned technology
and unique knowledge with Eurocopter’s world-class helicopter and
systems expertise makes a formidable team,” said Roy Minson, senior vice
president and general manager of AeroVironment’s Unmanned Aircraft
Systems business segment. “This cooperative agreement creates the
opportunity for both companies to explore expanding into new markets and
developing new capabilities to meet future customer needs.”
“AeroVironment’s extensive operational UAS experience in delivering to
end-users reliable solutions working effectively in harsh operating
environments makes us uniquely positioned to understand customers’
requirements and to determine future market trends,” said Clive Schley,
Eurocopter’s senior vice president, strategy and company development.
“This cooperation will be particularly valuable as Eurocopter defines
its unmanned product strategy, building on the success of our first
unmanned flights with the EC145 helicopter this year.”
AeroVironment developed the first hand-launched unmanned aircraft for
military surveillance in 1987. Since that time, the company has won
every U.S. Department of Defense competition for small UAS programs of
record, and has delivered more than 20,000 new and replacement small
unmanned air vehicles to customers within the United States and to more
than 20 international governments. The company has also integrated its
secure Digital Data Link communications architecture into air, sea and
land vehicles, including manned and unmanned airplanes and helicopters,
to enable control of its UAS from those platforms and provide access to
the information they produce.
Eurocopter offers the most comprehensive civil and military helicopter
range in the world, with more than 11,780 rotorcraft in service across
148 countries. Overall, Eurocopter helicopters account for 33 percent of
the worldwide civil and parapublic fleet.
The company’s expertise in system development and integration is applied
across its current helicopter products to ensure their mission
flexibility and operational effectiveness, with additional advances
being developed for the next generation of rotorcraft that will provide
new levels of performance and efficiency.
Eurocopter’s ability to integrate unmanned flight capabilities into its
helicopter family was validated this year by an optionally piloted
vehicle (OPV) demonstration program, which used an unmanned EC145 to fly
routes that included deployment of an external sling load and a
representative observation mission.
About AeroVironment, Inc.
AeroVironment is a technology solutions provider that designs, develops,
produces, operates and supports an advanced portfolio of Unmanned
Aircraft Systems (UAS) and electric transportation solutions.
Agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense and allied military services
use the company’s electric-powered, hand-launched
unmanned aircraft systems extensively to provide situational
awareness to tactical operating units through real-time, airborne
reconnaissance, surveillance and communication. Multiple government
agencies have helped to fund the development and demonstration of Global
Observer®, a hybrid-electric, stratospheric UAS designed to provide
affordable, persistent reconnaissance and communication over any
location on the globe. Switchblade™
is a tactical missile system designed to provide a rapid, lethal,
pinpoint precision strike capability with minimal collateral damage.
AeroVironment’s electric transportation solutions include a
comprehensive suite of electric
vehicle (EV) charging systems, installation and data services for
consumers, automakers, utilities and government agencies, power
cycling and test systems for EV developers and industrial
electric vehicle charging systems for commercial fleets. More
information about AeroVironment is available at www.avinc.com.
About Eurocopter
Established in 1992, the Franco-German-Spanish Eurocopter Group is a
division of EADS, a world leader in aerospace and defense-related
services. The Eurocopter Group employs approximately 22,000 people. In
2012, Eurocopter confirmed its position as the world’s No. 1 helicopter
manufacturer with a turnover of 6.3 billion Euros, orders for 469 new
helicopters and a 38 percent market share in the civil and parapublic
sectors. Overall, the Group’s helicopters account for 33 percent of the
worldwide civil and parapublic fleet. Eurocopter’s strong international
presence is ensured by its subsidiaries and participations in 21
countries. Eurocopter’s worldwide network of service centers, training
facilities, distributors and certified agents supports more than 2,900
customers. There are currently more than 11,780 Eurocopter helicopters
in service in 148 countries. Eurocopter offers the most comprehensive
civil and military helicopter range in the world and is fully committed
to safety as the most important aspect of its business. More information
about Eurocopter is available at www.eurocopter.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking
statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. These statements are made on the basis of current
expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and
uncertainties, including, but not limited to, economic, competitive,
governmental and technological factors outside of our control, that may
cause our business, strategy or actual results to differ materially from
those expressed or implied. Factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from the forward-looking statements include, but are
not limited to, our ability to perform under existing contracts and
obtain additional contracts; changes in the regulatory environment; the
activities of competitors; failure of the markets in which we operate to
grow; failure to expand into new markets; failure to develop new
products or integrate new technology with current products; and general
economic and business conditions in the United States and elsewhere in
the world. For a further list and description of such risks and
uncertainties, see the reports we file with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. We do not intend, and undertake no obligation, to update any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
Copyright Business Wire 2013