CORPORATE NEWS DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY

AeroVironment Appoints William J. Lynn III to Board of Directors

Techmediaglobal

| 4 min read

JUNE 24, 2026

APPOINTMENT EFFECTIVE

14 YEARS

CHAIRMAN & CEO, LEONARDO DRS

30TH

U.S. DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

NASDAQ: AVAV

TICKER SYMBOL

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV) has appointed William J. Lynn III to its Board of Directors, effective June 24, 2026. The move brings decades of national security, defense electronics and public-company leadership experience to the defense technology firm's board at a pivotal moment for its global growth strategy.

A Veteran of Both Government and Industry

Lynn served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Leonardo DRS, Inc. (NASDAQ: DRS), a leading defense electronics company, from 2012 until 2026. Before that, he served as the 30th U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense from 2009 to 2011 under Secretaries Robert Gates and Leon Panetta, where as the Department's chief operating officer he led development of its first cyber strategy.

Earlier in his career, Lynn held senior roles at Raytheon Company (now NYSE: RTX) and within the Department of Defense, including as Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) and Chief Financial Officer. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College, holds a J.D. from Cornell Law School and an M.P.A. in international affairs from Princeton University.

"Bill's distinguished service to the nation and extensive experience in government, national security and defense technology will bring valuable insights to the Board. His perspective as both a defense leader and public-company executive will be a tremendous asset as we continue to scale and advance our leadership position in an increasingly dynamic global security environment."
— Wahid Nawabi, Chairman, President and CEO, AeroVironment

Lynn's Perspective on Joining AV

For his part, Lynn framed the appointment as arriving at a critical juncture for both the company and the broader defense landscape, pointing to AV's solutions as directly aligned with the needs of warfighters and allied forces. He said he looks forward to helping the company advance its mission and drive continued growth.

About AeroVironment

AeroVironment is a defense technology leader delivering integrated capabilities across air, land, sea, space and cyber. The company develops and deploys autonomous systems, loitering munitions, counter-UAS technologies, space-based platforms, directed energy systems, and cyber and electronic warfare capabilities built for today's warfighter and tomorrow's conflicts.

At the core of these technologies is AV_Halo™, a modular, mission-ready AI-powered software platform designed to support full-battlefield dominance through detection, decision-making and delivery. With a national manufacturing footprint and a deep innovation pipeline, AV says it delivers proven systems and future-defining capabilities at speed and scale.

Key Takeaways

→William J. Lynn III joined AeroVironment's Board of Directors effective June 24, 2026.
→He brings 14 years of leadership experience as Chairman and CEO of Leonardo DRS, a leading defense electronics company.
→Lynn previously served as the 30th U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense (2009–2011), leading the Department's first cyber strategy.
→His earlier career includes senior roles at Raytheon and as DoD Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) and CFO.
→CEO Wahid Nawabi says Lynn's dual perspective as defense leader and public-company executive will support AV's continued scaling.
→AeroVironment continues to build out its AV_Halo™ AI-powered platform across air, land, sea, space and cyber domains.