Following Northrop Grumman’s acquisition of missile and rocket firm Orbital ATK in September, Boeing Defense, Space, and Security CEO Leanne Caret responded by confirming the company’s new “buyer” strategy to increase its mergers and acquisitions. Now, with the purchase of Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation for an undisclosed amount, Boeing begins its ascent into civilian, autonomous, and electric flight technology.
Aurora has already collaborated with Boeing in the past, with projects spanning rapid prototyping for innovative aircraft to structural assembly for military and commercial applications. Having designed, produced, and flown more than 30 UAVs to date, Aurora’s aircraft integrate autonomous systems like machine learning and advanced flight control systems. A demonstration of its eVTOL aircraft is featured in the video below.
Aurora will operate as an independent subsidiary of Boeing. It employs more than 550 people in six states. Headquartered in Manassas, Va., its facilities include a research-and-development center near MIT in Cambridge, Mass., and manufacturing facilities in Bridgeport, W.Va., and Columbus, Miss. Aurora offices are located in Dayton, Ohio, Mountain View, Calif., and Lucerne, Switzerland.
Boeing’s other recent acquisitions include wave-energy harnessing firm Liquid Robotics in 2016 and Peters Software in 2015. A list of Boeing’s acquisitions can be viewed on Crunchbase.