AeroVironment, Inc. (“AV”), a global defense technology leader, today announced that AV’s wholly owned subsidiary VideoRay is supporting an AEVEX-led team selected for a prototype Other Transaction Agreement following the U.S. Navy and Department of War Innovation Unit’s (DIU) Mine Countermeasure Modernization Prize Challenge. BlackSea Technologies, now part of AEVEX Maritime Systems, was one of three companies awarded challenge prizes following successful Navy demonstrations.
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The challenge sought mature, communications-resilient and rapidly fieldable commercial capabilities for mine countermeasure missions in contested environments, including bottom mine neutralization and near-surface mine neutralization.
During competitive in-water testing, VideoRay demonstrated an autonomous mine countermeasure remotely operated vehicle (ROV) launched from an AEVEX unmanned surface vessel with autonomous launch and recovery system. Operators conducted missions over the horizon from a remote ground control station while the system executed vessel transit, station keeping, ROV launch and recovery, target investigation, simulated neutralization and post-engagement assessment.
“The Navy demonstrated that commercial technology can move from evaluation to operational planning at a pace that matters,” said Chris Gibson, vice president of underwater uncrewed vehicles for AV. “Mission Specialist Defender gives the Fleet a modular underwater platform that can integrate with different surface vessels and payloads, allowing operators to conduct complex mine countermeasure missions while remaining outside the threat area.”
For the challenge, VideoRay also worked with ECS Special Projects Ltd.
The Navy and DIU launched the MCM Modernization Challenge to identify mature, rapidly fieldable commercial technologies capable of completing the detect-to-engage kill chain while keeping warfighters outside the threat zone. Winning systems will be integrated into the Fleet’s autonomous mine countermeasure kits as the service transitions commercial technologies into operational use.
More on Mission Specialist Defender
Mission Specialist Defender is a modular, open-architecture underwater robotic system designed to support demanding intervention missions and the integration of third-party sensors, manipulators and specialized payloads. The U.S. Navy selected Defender as the base platform for its MK20 Defender ROV supporting the Maritime Expeditionary Standoff Response program, and in 2024 awarded VideoRay a $92.6 million five-year contract for continued production, sustainment and development of the platform. That award supports EOD and expeditionary mine countermeasure missions.
About AV
AeroVironment (“AV”) is a defense technology leader delivering integrated capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. The company develops and deploys autonomous systems, precision strike systems, counter-UAS technologies, space-based platforms, directed energy systems, and cyber and electronic warfare capabilities – built to meet the mission needs of today’s warfighter and tomorrow’s conflicts. At the core of these technologies lies AV_Halo™, a modular, mission-ready suite of AI-powered software tools that empowers warfighters and enables full-battlefield dominance: detect, decide, deliver. With a national manufacturing footprint and a deep innovation pipeline, AV delivers proven systems and future-defining capabilities with speed, scale, and operational relevance. For more information, visit www.avinc.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
Certain statements in this press release may constitute “forward‑looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to, our ability to perform under existing contracts and obtain new ones; regulatory changes; competitor activities; market growth; product development challenges; and general economic conditions. For a more detailed discussion of these risks, please refer to AeroVironment’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to update forward‑looking statements as a result of new information or future events.
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