| Aerovel Corporation | |
| Type: | Private Company |
| Industry: | Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Unmanned Aerial System |
| Founder: | Dr. Tad McGeer |
| Products: | Aerovel Flexrotor |
| Num Employees: | >20 (as of 03/2019) |
| Foundation: | White Salmon, Washington (2006) |
| Location: | Bingen, Washington |
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]
In January 2024, it was announced that Airbus would acquire the company.[3] When the transaction was completed in May of the same year,[4] Aerovel became part of Airbus' helicopter unit.
The Aerovel Flexrotor unmanned aerial system (UAS) is designed for maritime[5] 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)[6] 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,[7] 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[8] and tropics.[9]
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,[10] 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.