Company
Arcturus UAV
Arcturus UAV was a California-based developer and manufacturer of Group 2 and Group 3 unmanned aircraft systems for defense and military applications.
- Founded
- 2004
- HQ
- Petaluma, California, USA
- Status
- acquired (by AeroVironment, 2021)
Appears inMilitary & defense drones
Models
1
Deployments
2
Overview
Arcturus UAV was a California-based developer and manufacturer of Group 2 and Group 3 unmanned aircraft systems for defense and military applications. Founded in 2004 in Petaluma, California, the company developed the JUMP 20, a runway-independent VTOL UAV used by USSOCOM for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations. AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV) acquired Arcturus UAV in February 2021 for approximately $405 million, integrating it as a wholly-owned subsidiary.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- 2 deployments on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
DEPLOY Intelligence
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Analyst-grade signals, competitive tracking, and investment context across the global physical AI landscape. Launching 2026.
Key facts
Founded
2004
Employees
~270 at time of acquisition (2021)
Acquired by
AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV) for $405M, Feb 2021
Key contract
USSOCOM MEUAS IV IDIQ (potential $975M)
Key contract
U.S. Army FTUAS program (funded development)
Data & sources
Press releases
1
Web sources
2
3 sources backing this record.View all →
Models (1)
View all models →Arcturus UAV on the deployment map
Where Arcturus UAV'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
Former / Previously (1)
- D'Milo Hallerberg President & CEO
Safety record
No incidents on record for Arcturus UAV.
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 →
Operated deployments (2)
Operator customers (1)
- Arcturus UAV2 deployments
Recent coverage
Arcturus UAV 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
- aggregator_estimate
- Lifecycle stage
- acquired
- Counterparty risk class
- moderate
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.
Funding rounds (1)
- Acquisition2021-02-19
$405M
Investors: AeroVironment (lead)
Acquisitions (1)
- acquired by AeroVironmentfull acquisition
Sources (3)
- https://www.avinc.com/
- AeroVironment Completes Acquisition of Arcturus UAV · https://investor.avinc.com/news-releases/news-release-details/aerovironment-inc-completes-acquisition-arcturus-uav-expands
- AeroVironment Acquires Group 2-3 UAS Provider Arcturus · https://aviationweek.com/defense/aircraft-propulsion/aerovironment-acquires-group-2-3-uas-provider-arcturus
Common questions
- What is Arcturus UAV?
- Arcturus UAV was a California-based developer and manufacturer of Group 2 and Group 3 unmanned aircraft systems for defense and military applications. Founded in 2004 in Petaluma, California, the company developed the JUMP 20, a runway-independent VTOL UAV used by USSOCOM for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations. AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV) acquired Arcturus UAV in February 2021 for approximately $405 million, integrating it as a wholly-owned subsidiary.
- What does Arcturus UAV make?
- Arcturus UAV has 1 robot model on the DEPLOY registry: JUMP 20 (Arcturus UAV builds physical robots).
- Is Arcturus UAV publicly traded?
- Arcturus UAV is not independently listed on public markets; it is part of AeroVironment on the DEPLOY registry.
- Who competes with Arcturus UAV?
- On the DEPLOY registry, peer companies to Arcturus UAV building in the same form factors include Anduril Industries, DJI, Amazon, Autel Robotics.
- Who is the CEO of Arcturus UAV?
- D'Milo Hallerberg is the ceo of Arcturus UAV, per the DEPLOY registry.
- How can I invest in Arcturus UAV?
- Arcturus UAV has no separately traded stock; it is owned by AeroVironment (the parent is the entity that trades, where it is public).
- Where is Arcturus UAV headquartered?
- Arcturus UAV is headquartered in Petaluma, California, USA.
- Who owns Arcturus UAV?
- Arcturus UAV is owned by AeroVironment, per the DEPLOY registry.
- Where does Arcturus UAV operate robots?
- Arcturus UAV operates 2 verified deployments, including at Mexico (Mexican Navy deployments), United States (USSOCOM deployments).
- Is Arcturus UAV a top robotics company?
- On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, funding, hiring, media, safety, and IP signals, Arcturus UAV ranks in roughly the top 35% of companies tracked by the registry.
- Is Arcturus UAV safe?
- Arcturus UAV has no incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. This does not constitute a safety guarantee; it reflects the incidents DEPLOY has tracked and verified to date.
Methodology: Verified · 3 sources (1 primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-14
Verification posture
Verified
High confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-07-14
Sources by quality tier
- 2
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
- 1
- primary-company-ir
- Company IR disclosure
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Arcturus UAV.Peer companies
- Anduril Industries7 models
- DJI7 models
- Amazon4 models
- Autel Robotics4 models
- Teledyne FLIR4 models
- AeroVironment3 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Arcturus UAV from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
HG Robotics VETAL - sUAS News
<a…
US Army Looks to Replace ‘Shadow’ Drone - The Defense Post
<a…
10 Leading Commercial Drone Manufacturers in the World - Fortune Business Insights
<a…
Arcturus UAV Awarded $7 Million Task Order for USSOCOM MEUAS Program
Arcturus UAV was awarded a competitive $7M task order from USSOCOM for the MEUAS IV IDIQ contract, deploying the JUMP 20 for ISR operations.
AeroVironment Subsidiary Arcturus UAV awarded approximately $7 Million Task Order for U.S. Special Operations Command - sUAS News
<a…
AeroVironment to Acquire Arcturus UAV - Unmanned Systems Technology
<a…
Aerovironment buys Arcturus UAV in $405M deal
AeroVironment announced the acquisition of Arcturus UAV for $405 million, expanding its portfolio into Group 2-3 UAS with the JUMP 20 VTOL platform.
The Drone Databook - Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College
Arcturus UAV manufactures Group 2 and 3 unmanned aircraft systems including the JUMP-20 VTOL, used by military forces globally.
ARCTURUS UAV T-20 - sUAS News
<a…
Leased Unmanned Systems Providing Flexible ISR for Special Operators - National Defense Magazine
<a…
Arcturus UAV Unveils JUMP Fixed Wing VTOL UAV - sUAS News
<a…
Arcturus UAV and Urban Robotics Fly 3-D Imager - sUAS News
<a…
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/arcturus-uav.md
- RSS feed: /companies/arcturus-uav/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/a435805c-382f-40f9-88f9-e2559db79eeb
- Revision history: /companies/arcturus-uav/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
Video
Quadrotor Technology Adapted To A Fixed Wing UAV... In this video you’re going to see an airplane that can take off and land vertically and transition to winge
Also: Virgin Orbit Launch Demo 2, Super Bowl LV, Skydio Earns CES Award, Drone Gambling As previously noted, a CA drone pilot was arrested on suspicion of havi
Reality vs attention
Arcturus UAV draws attention at the 67th percentile but verifies reality at the 55th percentile among aerial robots. Hype Gap +11.2, 23rd widest among aerial robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Clean safety record across 2 verified deployments. 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 15, 2026