Drone maker AeroVironment moves headquarters from Simi Valley to D.C. area

Unmanned aircraft firm AeroVironment, Inc. this week announced the relocation of its corporate headquarters from Simi Valley to Arlington, Virginia.

But officials with the defense contractor - in the spotlight recently for its role in the creation of NASA's Mars Ingenuity helicopter - said it will keep its former headquarters at 900 Innovators Way open for business. It will also continue operations at its three other Simi Valley facilities and one in Moorpark.

None of AeroVironment's 746 local employees will lose their jobs or be transferred to the new headquarters across the country, company spokesperson Makayla Thomas said on Thursday.

The move to Arlington, a suburb of Washington, was effective Tuesday.

'The greater Washington D.C. area is where many of our key customers are located, and expanding our presence in the region will further our access to decision-makers, influencers and talent,' Wahid Nawabi, AeroVironment president and CEO, said in a news release.

'We look forward to growing our Washington, D.C. presence and continuing to serve our customers with solutions that help them proceed with certainty,' he said.

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Simi Valley City Manager Brian Gabler said AeroVironment will continue to have a strong presence in the city.

'We understand AeroVironment's relocation of its headquarters to Virginia as it makes sense to be near the defense industry decision-makers,' he said. 'However, AeroVironment's operations in Simi Valley will still continue and the relocation will have minor impact on our community.'

He noted the company recently renewed leases on three of its four Simi Valley buildings.

'So, we're excited to continue to have Simi Valley as the major home of AeroVironment's operations and look forward to their continuing as a good corporate citizen here,' he said.

AeroVironment said it will maintain existing operations in other parts of the country and in Germany, too.

The company's engineers made significant contributions to a miniature NASA helicopter that in April flew on Mars - the first powered flight of an aircraft on another world.

Mike Harris covers the East County cities of Moorpark, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, as well as transportation countywide. You can contact him at [email protected] or 805-437-0323.

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