Airbus Helicopters adds Flexrotor to its portfolio of unmanned aerial systems through the acquisition of Aerovel

Airbus Helicopters and Aerovel signed an agreement regarding the acquisition of Aerovel and its unmanned aerial system (UAS), Flexrotor, as part of the European aerospace giant’s strategy to strengthen its portfolio of tactical unmanned solutions.

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Flexrotor is a small tactical unmanned aerial system designed for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions at sea and on land.

«We are looking forward to welcoming Aerovel into the Airbus family. This strategic acquisition aligns with our vision to expand our UAS offering and respond to a growing customer demand worldwide for additional mission capabilities such as manned-unmanned teaming. Aerovel’s expertise in autonomous flight technology will undoubtedly complement our UAS development with the VSR700, as well as the work that we have been doing to develop interoperability,” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters.

Flexrotor, a modern vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aircraft with a maximum launch weight of 25 kg, has been designed for ISTAR missions of 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 specific customer mission requirements. Flexrotor, which can launch and recover vertically and autonomously from both land and sea and requires only a 3 by 4 meter launch and recovery surface, is ideal for expeditionary missions requiring minimal space.

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With support from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and contracted deployment in various maritime security exercises, the Flexrotor is a mission-proven force multiplier for operations in harsh, high-threat, GPS-denied environments.

This UAS can also be used for parapublic missions such as wildfire surveillance (providing firefighters with critical day or night imagery) and ice navigation (helping to guide warships through ice in the Arctic Ocean).

Aerovel, based in Bingen, Washington, will remain a U.S.-owned company and will continue to collaborate with the U.S. DoD under the Airbus Special Security Agreement (SSA).

The acquisition remains subject to U.S. regulatory approvals as well as other customary conditions. Closing of the transaction is expected during 2024.