A San Luis Obispo manufacturer of unmanned aerial vehicles—known as drones—has been purchased by a major military contractor, Lockheed Martin, for an undisclosed amount.
AME Unmanned Air Systems designs and manufactures a small drone aircraft known as the Fury UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), used to conduct intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare missions for the U.S. Armed Forces.
The SLO manufacturer, based in a sprawling, windowless building off Vachell Lane, has provided more than 1,500 aircraft to various customers worldwide, “including tactical systems addressing urgent needs in Afghanistan and Iraq,” according to an e-mail to the Sun from Alexandra Wildfong, a public relations spokesperson with Lockheed Martin.
Formerly known as AeroMech Engineering, the SLO company was started in a garage in Los Osos by two Cal Poly engineering graduates in 1999. Thomas Akers and Norman Timbs loved model airplanes and had just $700 in start-up cash, according to a Cal Poly Magazine article.
Chandler/May Inc., an Arkansas company, bought a majority holding in AeroMech in 2009, changing the SLO operation’s name to AME Unmanned Air Systems. It’s now part of Lockheed Martin’s Mission Systems and Sensors division.
With a length of less than 7 feet and a wingspan of 14 feet, the Fury drone doesn’t require a runway; it’s deployed by a special launcher and captured in a net. The unmanned aircraft has the largest payload capacity and longest endurance of any runway-independent drone, according to the company’s website.
“The Fury’s survivable configuration excels in areas where not being seen or heard is paramount for mission success,” the website states.
The Fury will continue to be built in San Luis Obispo, Wildfong said.
Lockheed Martin, a global security and aerospace company, employs 120,000 people worldwide, including 65 in San Luis Obispo and approximately 300 in Santa Maria. The corporation reported $46.5 billion in net sales last year.
This article appears in Dec 20-27, 2012.