Business
AeroVironment Marks 50 Years of Achieving the Impossible
SIMI VALLEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- In the 1970s, AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV) founder Dr. Paul B. MacCready, Jr. became the first to design and build an
About this update from Aerovironment, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":" SIMI VALLEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--\nIn the 1970s, AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV) founder Dr. Paul B. MacCready, Jr. became the first to design and build an aircraft that successfully achieved controlled human-powered flight, giving birth to the company’s reputation of achieving the impossible in aerospace engineering. Now, as the company begins its 50th year in business, it’s preparing to break yet another barrier by enabling a first-of-its-kind mission on Mars.\nThis press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200727005463/en/For more information on AeroVironment’s 50th anniversary campaign, visit www.avinc.com/50 (Graphic: Business Wire)\n\nAeroVironment began operations in 1971 as a small engineering firm focused on applying aerodynamic principles to solve important challenges facing the world. Since its founding, AeroVironment and its innovators have done just that.\n\n\nFollowing groundbreaking human-powered aircraft including the Gossamer Condor and Gossamer Albatross, AeroVironment proceeded to reshape the battlefield as the leader in tactical unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), including Raven®, Puma™, Wasp® and Quantix™ Recon, and tactical missile systems with Switchblade® and Blackwing™.\n\n\nAeroVironment also pioneered the concept of high-altitude solar-powered UAS, setting world unmanned flight and telecommunications records at the turn of the millennium with Helios and Pathfinder Plus. Today, AeroVironment’s HAPSMobile Inc. joint-venture with SoftBank Corp. has led to the next evolution in stratospheric unmanned flight with the development of the Sunglider solar-powered high-altitude pseudo-satellite (HAPS), currently undergoing testing at Spaceport America in New Mexico.\n\n\nBut AeroVironment isn’t stopping at the outermost regions of Earth’s atmosphere. The company will further humanity’s exploration of our solar system and its search for evidence of life beyond Earth when NASA’s Perseverance Rover departs on its seven-month journey to Mars this summer. Secured to the underbelly of Perseverance is the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, which will be the first aircraft to attempt controlled flight on another planet.\n\n\nIngenuity is the brainchild of Dr. Bob Balaram of NASA/JPL. AeroVironment began working on the concept of a Mars helicopter with Dr. Balaram in...