Company profile
Empirical Systems Aerospace
Empirical Systems Aerospace is an aerospace engineering company focused on aircraft design, manufacturing, integration and testing. Now part of AeroVironme...
Facts
- Segment
- DEFENSE
- Country
- US
- Headquarters
- San Luis Obispo, California
- Founded
- 2003
- Website
- https://www.esaero.com/
About Empirical Systems Aerospace
ESAero combines conceptual aircraft design, aerodynamic and structural engineering, systems integration, rapid prototyping, flight testing and AS9100 manufacturing within one programme organisation. Its work ranges from electric and hybrid-electric demonstrators to unmanned aircraft, propulsion test equipment and hydrogen fuel-cell power systems, allowing customers to move from early configuration studies through fabrication and certification-oriented testing without transferring the programme between separate suppliers.
LUMBERJACK is its current launched-effect platform: a Group III aircraft designed for ground or air launch, autonomous sensing, modular payload integration and repeated employment from a two-person transport package. ESAero also develops the VESA and FAST aircraft families and IE-SOAR fuel-cell systems. AeroVironment acquired the company in March 2026, adding ESAero’s design-and-manufacturing capability to its uncrewed-systems portfolio while retaining the ESAero operating brand.
Market context
DEPLOYMENT
Summary
Type: UAS developer
Core: UAS platforms
Function: Engineer aircraft
Audience: Armed forces