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AeroVironment to acquire BlueHalo for $4.1B
AeroVironment, an Arlington County defense contractor, announced this week it will purchase aerospace and defense tech firm BlueHalo for approximately $4.1 billion in an all-stock transaction. Also based in Arlington, BlueHalo is owned by private equity firm Arlington Capital Partners and works in space technologies, counter-uncrewed aircraft systems, directed energy, electronic warfare, cyber, ar[...]
HII’s Mission Technologies wins $347M Navy contract
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ McLean-based Mission Technologies will build nine undersea drones for the Navy’s Lionfish System program in a deal that could grow to as many as 200 vehicles during the next five years, with a total value of more than $347 million. Newport News-based HII announced the contract Wednesday. The system is based on […]
McLean startup raises $75M for air taxi network
Fritz Lang’s 1927 film “Metropolis” predicted cities with flying cars, while Hanna-Barbera followed that vision 35 years later with “The Jetsons” and its commuter “skyways.” Now, however, air taxis are close to becoming reality. The industry could generate up to $16 billion in new business investments in Virginia and carry as many as 66 million […]
ManTech secures $118M Navy contract
Herndon-based tech contractor ManTech International Corp. has secured a $188 million, five-year contract to support the U.S. Navy’s Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane by providing tech solutions for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance by unmanned aircraft systems. “At ManTech, intelligent systems engineering is a core competency where we excel at developing innovation solutions. [...]
DroneUp inks deal with Walmart, acquires AirMap
Virginia Beach-based DroneUp LLC is making moves at the end of the year, with a new partnership with Walmart Inc. and the acquisition of Santa Monica, California-based AirMap Inc., a company specializing in air traffic management software for drones. DroneUp and Walmart will have the first multisite commercial drone delivery operations, or hubs, in northwest […]
SAIC lands $90M Air Force contract
Reston-based Fortune 500 government contractor Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) has been awarded a $90 million contract to help protect Department of Defense Combatant Commands from small unmanned aircraft systems. The contract was awarded by the U.S. Air Force and its Life Cycle and Management Center, Force Protection Division, the company announced in a Tuesday news […]
DroneUp names chief strategy officer
Virginia Beach-based DroneUp LLC announced Tuesday it has hired Carl Smit as its chief strategy officer. In his new role, he will advise CEO Tom Walker and DroneUp’s senior leadership team to set the strategic direction of the company and focus on growing its retail drone delivery offerings. He will also oversee corporate development including […]
HII acquires unmanned systems business
Newport News-based Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced Monday it has acquired Virginia Beach-based Spatial Integrated Systems Inc.’s (SIS) autonomy business. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but the acquisition expands HII’s unmanned systems capabilities, according to a company statement. Approximately 50 SIS employees will join unmanned systems business[...]
Unmanned aircraft company creating 249 jobs in Warren County
Silent Falcon UAS, an unmanned aircraft systems service provider and equipment manufacturer, will invest $6 million to locate its new East Coast headquarters for research development and manufacturing at the Front Royal-Warren County Airport, creating 249 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. Founded in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Silent Falcon UAS manufactures patent-pending unmanned aircraft [...]
Northrop Grumman lands potential $4.8B Air Force drone modernization
Northrop Grumman Corp. has received a potential $4.8 billion contract to update, refurbish and sustain the U.S. Air Force’s fleet of RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial systems. The indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the Falls Church-based company includes task orders for specific UAS modernization services in line with the Air Force’s Global Hawk program, the Department[...]
Huntington Ingalls to establish unmanned systems center in Hampton
Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday that Newport News-based Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), the nation’s largest military shipbuilding company, will establish an unmanned systems center in Hampton, which will create more than 250 jobs. “Huntington Ingalls Industries is a national leader in advanced manufacturing, and this investment is a powerful testament to Virginia’s workers[...]
Unmanned Systems Association of Va. names board chair
The New College Institute in Martinsville announced Tuesday that interim Executive Director Karen Jackson has been elected as board chair of the Unmanned Systems Association of Virginia (USAV). The association is a nonprofit coalition that promotes legal and regulatory framework for growth in the unmanned systems industry in Virginia — the state with the eighth-largest […]
