Wahid Nawabi on production capacity

About Wahid Nawabi

Wahid Nawabi has stated that AeroVironment is positioned to double the size of the company over the next three to five years, citing organic growth and production capacity. He said the company has "built our company precisely for this type of a moment" and that it has "the ability to scale and produce thousands and tens of thousands of them even hundreds of thousands of them." Nawabi noted that the company has "already pivoted away from Ukraine," which he said will account for less than 5% of revenue, and that AeroVironment exports to over 55 countries, with the Blue Halo acquisition expanding that footprint to over 100 countries. He described China as "a serious threat to the United States and the free world" and said the defense industrial base "needs to revamp." Nawabi has discussed the company's role in the "Golden Dome" initiative, stating that AeroVironment has "many, many of the pieces of the puzzle" for its implementation, including a $1.7 billion Space Force program to modernize satellite laser communications. He has emphasized the company's focus on autonomous systems, AI, and counter-drone capabilities, including directed energy solutions that he said can reduce the cost of defeating a drone "from millions of dollars per kill to basically a few dollars per kill." Nawabi has also highlighted the company's internal R&D investment of 12-13% of revenue and its product development cycle of one to two years from concept to production, which he contrasted with the typical decade-long cycle in the aerospace and defense industry.

Profile compiled from Wahid Nawabi's verified public interviews and appearances. See all quotes & transcripts →