Airbus acquires Aerovel, adding the Flexrotor VTOL UAS to its portfolio

Airbus announced on 7 May 2024 that it has finalised the acquisition of US-based Aerovel and its Flexrotor unmanned aerial system (UAS) in a move to strengthen its portfolio of tactical unmanned solutions.

The Flexrotor is a small tactical UAS designed for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions at sea and over land.

“We see more and more armed forces and parapublic agencies around the world looking to investigate how unmanned aerial systems can strengthen their intelligence and surveillance capabilities,” Mathilde Royer, head of strategy and sustainability at Airbus Helicopters, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “The Flexrotor, as a vertical take-off and landing [VTOL] UAS, fits into our strategy to expand our UAS offerings. Together with the VSR700 [Airbus’ rotary-wing naval UAS], we will continue to develop manned-unmanned teaming to offer our customers the enhanced and expanded mission capabilities that they require to monitor and safeguard their communities and critical infrastructure, while preserving essential assets such as helicopters,” Royer added.

The Flexrotor VTOL unmanned aerial vehicle has a maximum launch weight of 25 kg and has been designed for ISTAR missions lasting more than 12-14 hours in a typical operational configuration. It can integrate different types of payloads, including an electro-optical system and advanced sensors to suit customers’ particular mission needs. With the ability to autonomously launch and recover from either land or sea requiring only a 3.7 m² area, the Flexrotor is ideal for expeditionary missions requiring a minimal footprint.

“Through the support of the US Department of Defense (DoD), and contracted deployment in a variety of maritime security exercises, the Flexrotor is a mission-proven force multiplier for operations in harsh, high-threat, GPS-denied environments,” Airbus stated.

The Flexrotor is also being operated for parapublic missions such as forest fire surveillance and can also address other missions, such as ice navigation (helping guide naval vessels through ice in the Arctic Ocean), law enforcement and border patrol.

Aerovel currently employs more than 30 people and presents a significant growth trajectory, according to Airbus. It will continue to design and manufacture the Flexrotor at its facilities in Bingen, Washington state.