Company
AEVEX Aerospace
AEVEX Aerospace is a California-based defense technology company producing autonomous unmanned aircraft, including the Phoenix Ghost and Disruptor strike…
- Founded
- 2019
- HQ
- Solana Beach, CA, USA
- Status
- private (defense aerospace; Virginia)
Appears inMilitary & defense drones
Funding
$320.0M
Models
1
Deployments
1
Overview
AEVEX Aerospace is a California-based defense technology company producing autonomous unmanned aircraft, including the Phoenix Ghost and Disruptor strike drones used extensively in Ukraine. The company delivered over 5,000 drones to Ukraine with $582 million in Pentagon contracts, making it the largest U.S. drone supplier to the conflict. AEVEX went public on NYSE under ticker AVEX in April 2026, raising $320 million in its IPO. The company also provides ISR services for wildfire response through the FIRIS program in California.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- 1 deployment on file
- Active incidents
- 1 incident on file
DEPLOY Intelligence
Market intelligence for physical AI
Analyst-grade signals, competitive tracking, and investment context across the global physical AI landscape. Launching 2026.
Key facts
CEO
Roger Wells
Founder
Brian Raduenz
Ticker
AVEX (NYSE)
IPO date
2026-04-17 ($320M raised)
Drones delivered to Ukraine
5,000+
Pentagon contracts
$582M
Data & sources
Web sources
1
1 source backing this record.View all →
Models (1)
View all models →AEVEX Aerospace on the deployment map
Where AEVEX Aerospace's robots are verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.
- delivery and inspection drones in United States →
- delivery and inspection drones in California →
- delivery and inspection drones in Ukraine (combat zones) →
- delivery and inspection drones in Nevada →
- delivery and inspection drones in United Kingdom →
- delivery and inspection drones in China →
- The global deployment map →
Relationships
Current leadership (2)
- Brian Raduenz Founder & Executive Chairmanreported, not verified
- Roger Wells Chief Executive Officerreported, not verified
Founders (1)
- Brian Raduenzcofounder
Safety record
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Incidents affecting AEVEX Aerospace (1)
- US Air Force awards AEVEX 0M contract for GPS-resistant autonomous strike drones2026-06-30 · Regulatory action
Includes incidents linked directly to this company, to its models, or to deployments of its models or under its operation. Retracted incidents are excluded from this view but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Operated deployments (1)
- AEVEX Strike DroneUkraine (combat zones)
Operator customers (1)
- AEVEX Aerospace1 deployment
Recent coverage
AEVEX Aerospace in third-party press
Peer companies
- Anduril Industries7 models
- DJI7 models
- Amazon4 models
- Autel Robotics4 models
- Teledyne FLIR4 models
- AeroVironment3 models
Financial state
- Reporting basis
- private_reported
- Revenue disclosed
- $216700000 (private_reported)
- Lifecycle stage
- growth
- Counterparty risk class
- low
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Partnerships (1)
- AEVEX x US Air Force Strike Drones with US Air Forcedeployment
Funding rounds (1)
- IPO2026-04-17
$320M(reported)
Investors: Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Baird
Sources (1)
Common questions
- What is AEVEX Aerospace?
- AEVEX Aerospace is a California-based defense technology company producing autonomous unmanned aircraft, including the Phoenix Ghost and Disruptor strike drones used extensively in Ukraine. The company delivered over 5,000 drones to Ukraine with $582 million in Pentagon contracts, making it the largest U.S. drone supplier to the conflict. AEVEX went public on NYSE under ticker AVEX in April 2026, raising $320 million in its IPO. The company also provides ISR services for wildfire response through the FIRIS program in California.
- What does AEVEX Aerospace make?
- AEVEX Aerospace has 1 robot model on the DEPLOY registry: AEVEX Strike Drone (AEVEX Aerospace builds physical robots).
- Is AEVEX Aerospace publicly traded?
- No. AEVEX Aerospace is privately held and not publicly traded, per the DEPLOY registry.
- Who competes with AEVEX Aerospace?
- On the DEPLOY registry, peer companies to AEVEX Aerospace building in the same form factors include Anduril Industries, DJI, Amazon, Autel Robotics.
- Where is AEVEX Aerospace headquartered?
- AEVEX Aerospace is headquartered in Solana Beach, CA, USA.
- How much funding has AEVEX Aerospace raised?
- AEVEX Aerospace has raised approximately $320M in disclosed funding on record in the DEPLOY registry.
- Where does AEVEX Aerospace operate robots?
- AEVEX Aerospace operates 1 verified deployment, including at Ukraine (combat zones).
- Is AEVEX Aerospace a top robotics company?
- On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, funding, hiring, media, safety, and IP signals, AEVEX Aerospace ranks in roughly the top 27% of companies tracked by the registry.
- When was AEVEX Aerospace founded?
- AEVEX Aerospace was founded in 2019.
- Are there any incidents involving AEVEX Aerospace?
- 1 active incident involving AEVEX Aerospace is on the DEPLOY registry. Each is a sourced, append-only record; retracted incidents are suppressed from this view.
- Is AEVEX Aerospace safe?
- AEVEX Aerospace has 1 active incident on record in the DEPLOY registry. 1 incident on record (1 minor). Most recent: Jun 2026. Retracted incidents are excluded from this count.
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-09
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-07-09
Sources by quality tier
- 1
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for AEVEX Aerospace.Peer companies
- Anduril Industries7 models
- DJI7 models
- Amazon4 models
- Autel Robotics4 models
- Teledyne FLIR4 models
- AeroVironment3 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning AEVEX Aerospace from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
AEVEX wins $50M deal for GPS-resistant strike drones
AEVEX secured a $50M U.S. Air Force contract with $27M initial funding to expand unmanned mission systems with GPS-resistant capabilities.
AEVEX Corp. Announces Pricing of Initial Public Offering
AEVEX priced its IPO at shares beginning trading on NYSE under ticker AVEX, raising $320 million.
Revealed: The Mysterious Ghost Drones Of The Ukraine War
Forbes revealed AEVEX as the maker of Phoenix Ghost drones used in Ukraine, with over 5,000 delivered and $582 million in Pentagon contracts.
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/aevex.md
- RSS feed: /companies/aevex/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/ba358703-a726-4efe-9020-cdf6fa2a2b27
- Revision history: /companies/aevex/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Anduril Industries7 models
- DJI7 models
- Amazon4 models
- Autel Robotics4 models
- Teledyne FLIR4 models
- AeroVironment3 models
Reality vs attention
AEVEX Aerospace draws attention at the 40th percentile but verifies reality at the 20th percentile among aerial robots. Hype Gap +19.6, 18th widest among aerial robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Safety profile within acceptable range for category. Well-capitalized with $320M raised and recent funding activity. Deployment footprint remains limited relative to category peers.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Jul 14, 2026