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AV’s Wildcat Reaches Key Milestones in DARPA’s ANCILLARY Program’s EVADE Demonstration
Full-scale platform transitions to forward flight, accelerates mission system integration, and pushes the boundaries of maritime VTOL autonomy ARLINGTON,
About this update from Aerovironment, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"\nFull-scale platform transitions to forward flight, accelerates mission system integration, and pushes the boundaries of maritime VTOL autonomy\n\n\n ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--\nAeroVironment, Inc. (“AV”) (NASDAQ: AVAV) announced today that its Wildcat uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) has achieved a series of development milestones in support of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Early VTOL Aircraft Demonstration (EVADE). Wildcat has successfully completed VTOL-to-forward-flight transitions, validated its core flight and propulsion systems, and begun integrating critical mission payloads—demonstrating rapid progress toward an operationally relevant capability.\n\nThis press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250626965421/en/Designed for operations in high sea states, Wildcat showcases AV’s MacCready Works’ commitment to rapid innovation and mission-focused solutions. (Photo: AV)\nWildcat is a Group 3, tail-sitting vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft designed for launch and recovery from ship decks in denied and distributed maritime environments. Its compact footprint, autonomous launch and recovery, and robust flight performance across high sea states make it a flexible and scalable solution for contested littoral operations.\n\n\n“Wildcat reflects the spirit of MacCready Works - breakthrough thinking, accelerated timelines, and deep mission alignment,” said Chris Fisher, AV’s vice president of MacCready Works Novel Systems. “In a matter of weeks, we’ve gone from system integration to full forward flight transitions, all while validating key subsystems. This is what innovation at operational speed looks like.”\n\n\nWithin this fast-paced program, innovations include a new Visual Precision Landing System (VPLS), an AVACORE™-enabled integration of Government Furnished Software and testing of a new modular autopilot and AI compute module all of which feed back into AV’s existing product lines including the JUMP® 20-X, P550™, and others.\n\n\nRecent flight testing included the expansion of Wildcat’s hover envelope and the first successful transitions to forward flight using the full-scale test platform. Key systems—such as a heavy fuel propulsion system, fuel, and flight control—were validated in both hover and level flight, with aero...