Company:Aerovel Corporation

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Aerovel Corporation
TypePrivate Company
IndustryUnmanned Aerial Vehicle, Unmanned Aerial System
FoundedWhite Salmon, Washington (2006)
HeadquartersBingen, Washington
Key people
Dr. Tad McGeer: Founder and President
ProductsAerovel Flexrotor
Number of employees
>20 (as of 03/2019)
Aerovel Flexrotor

Aerovel Corporation was founded in 2006 by Dr. Tad McGeer, a designer of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) at various companies for more than 25 years.[1] McGeer co-founded The Insitu Group in 1992, where he was the architect of Aerosonde, SeaScan and ScanEagle. Aerovel Flexrotor is the next evolution in McGeer's line of unmanned aerial systems.[2] As of January 2024 the company is now owned by Airbus helicopters.[3]

Product

Aerovel Flexrotor

The Aerovel Flexrotor unmanned aerial system (UAS) is designed for maritime[4] and land-based operations, day and night, and combines endurance and expeditionary capabilities. It needs a 20' by 20' area for launch and recovery. Flexrotor takes off and lands vertically (VTOL)[5] and then transitions into horizontal wing-borne flight. It flies completely automatically after takeoff, with no pilot intervention needed. Flexrotor quickly assembles for flight, can be rapidly re-stowed in its compact case for storage and transported on a small flatbed truck.

Aerovel Flexrotor has a flight endurance of more than 32 hours,[6] which is a record-setting Group 2 UAS flight endurance, and a 100-kilometer communications range. It is an all-weather aircraft that has operated in harsh conditions including off of various vessels in the Arctic[7] and tropics.[8]

A fixed-wing aircraft, Aerovel Flexrotor requires no runway or launch and retrieval equipment. It is designed for observation, monitoring, intelligence gathering, communications relay, surveillance, reconnaissance,[9] security and scientific data collection. It can be used for a diverse range of commercial, civil and military applications at sea and on land. Airbus Helicopters acquired this product with their acquisition of Aerovel in January 2024.

References

  1. Conniff, Richard. "Drones are Ready for Takeoff" (in en). Smithsonian. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/drones-are-ready-for-takeoff-160062162/. 
  2. Conniff, Richard. "Drones are Ready for Takeoff" (in en). Smithsonian. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/drones-are-ready-for-takeoff-160062162/. 
  3. "Airbus Helicopters to expand unmanned aerial system portfolio with acquisition of Aerovel". https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-01-airbus-helicopters-to-expand-unmanned-aerial-system-portfolio-with. 
  4. Petrova, Magdalena. "Poachers and fish beware, the Flexrotor ocean drone is watching" (in en). Computerworld. http://www.computerworld.com/article/3143434/it-industry/poachers-and-fish-beware-the-flexrotor-ocean-drone-is-watching.html. 
  5. "Poachers and fish beware, this ocean drone is on your trail" (in en). PCWorld. http://www.pcworld.com/article/3143202/techology-business/poachers-and-fish-beware-this-ocean-drone-is-on-your-trail.html. 
  6. "Thirty two hour flight record for Aerovel Flexrotor VTOL - sUAS News - The Business of Drones" (in en-GB). sUAS News - The Business of Drones. 2017-10-16. https://www.suasnews.com/2017/10/thirty-two-hour-flight-record-aerovel-flexrotor-vtol/. 
  7. McFarland, Matt (2016-11-05). "Ship relies on drone to avoid ice blocks in Arctic waters". https://money.cnn.com/2016/11/05/technology/arctic-drone-ship-navigate/index.html. 
  8. "Drones could help spot illegal fishing around Costa Rica's Cocos Island -". 2015-07-17. http://www.ticotimes.net/2015/07/17/drones-latest-tool-save-costa-ricas-cocos-island. 
  9. "Chouest anchor handler uses UAS during ice navigation" (in en). http://www.osjonline.com/news/view,chouest-anchor-handler-uses-uas-during-ice-navigation_45305.htm.