AeroVironment Appoints Dr. Robert Smith as COO

By Chris Stiles • Thursday, April 09 11:12 • Permanent Link

AeroVironment said April 9 it appointed Dr. Robert Smith as executive vice president and chief operating officer, effective April 13, giving him oversight of the company’s autonomous systems unit and its space, cyber and directed energy business, along with global operations and manufacturing.

The move comes as the company said it is working to scale manufacturing, strengthen its supply chain and support rising customer demand. Smith joins from Raytheon, where he most recently served as vice president of radio frequency solutions and previously oversaw a multi-billion-dollar radar and electronic warfare business. He has also held senior roles at CAES, BWX Technologies and Lockheed Martin.

The appointment adds a new layer of operational leadership as AeroVironment expands across air, land, sea, space and cyber. The company said Smith will report to Chairman, President and CEO Wahid Nawabi. Following these announcements, the company's shares moved -1.56%, and are now trading at a price of $195.91. Check out the company's full 8-K submission here.

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