Boeing Buys Autonomous Drone-Maker Aurora Flight Systems

In October 2017, Boeing announced its agreement to acquire Aurora Flight Sciences, a developer of autonomous and electric-propulsion aircraft. The transaction, which was subject to regulatory review, was expected to close by the end of the year.

Aurora is headquartered in Manassas, Virginia, and has more than 550 employees across six states and Switzerland. The company specializes in autonomous flight technology, including machine learning, perception, and advanced flight-control systems. In April of that year, Aurora flew an air-taxi prototype with vertical takeoff and landing capability. The firm planned to deliver 50 of these aircraft by 2020 to Uber Elevate, a flying vehicle initiative that also partners with Textron Inc. and Embraer SA.

According to Boeing’s chief technology officer, the acquisition is an investment beyond Boeing’s HorizonX venture unit, which was established earlier in the year to fund early-stage companies with emerging technologies. Once the transaction is completed, Aurora will operate as a subsidiary under Boeing Engineering Test & Technology, known as Aurora Flight Sciences, A Boeing Company. Boeing intends to manage the subsidiary similarly to its previous acquisitions of autonomous technology firms, such as Insitu and Liquid Robotics.

The acquisition aligns with Boeing’s broader interest in automation, following an announcement in June of that year that the company would explore automated systems for commercial aircraft. Aurora’s founder and chief executive officer noted that the combination of the two companies would create a powerful partnership to develop smarter aircraft.