AEVEX has agreed to acquire BlackSea Technologies in a deal worth up to $650 million, expanding its autonomous systems portfolio.
AEVEX has agreed to acquire BlackSea Technologies in a deal worth up to $650 million, expanding its autonomous systems portfolio across air, surface, and subsea domains.
The transaction, expected to be finalized in September, includes about $250 million in cash, $350 million in AEVEX Class A shares, and up to $50 million in performance-based earnout payments.
The combined company will offer platforms spanning Groups I-V unmanned aircraft, unmanned surface vessels, unmanned underwater vehicles, contested logistics systems, and AI-enabled mission software.
AEVEX said it plans to integrate its CompassX autonomy ecosystem into selected BlackSea maritime platforms, enabling coordinated operations across air and maritime domains while supporting navigation in GPS-denied environments.
AEVEX CEO Roger Wells said that the deal aligns with the company’s strategic priorities.
“BlackSea adds meaningful maritime scale to our mission with operationally proven platforms, deep customer relationships, and real production capacity that matches customer requirements,” he said.
Recent Acquisitions Expand Autonomous Defense Capabilities
AEVEX's planned purchase reflects a broader trend of defense companies acquiring specialist firms to improve autonomous systems portfolios.
In August, Joby Aviation agreed to acquire Resonant Sciences in a deal worth about $500 million, creating a dedicated defense business focused on hybrid-electric aircraft, autonomous systems, and military aviation technologies.
In June, Mobix Labs signed an agreement to acquire US drone manufacturer Vision Aerial, while Shield AI completed its acquisition of Aechelon Technology to combine Hivemind autonomous flight software with advanced synthetic training capabilities.
Earlier, in April, Red Cat Holdings also acquired Apium Swarm Robotics, adding distributed swarming software that enables drones and unmanned surface vessels to coordinate autonomously in contested environments.
