AeroVironment Awarded $75M Contract to Advance Biotechnology and Smart Materials for U.S. Air Force

The 5-year task order will support the development of next-generation materials and biomanufacturing for Air Force systems.

Jan. 28, 2026 at 8:07am

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The United States Air Force has awarded a $75 million task order to AeroVironment, Inc.'s UES division to advance biotechnology, materials science, and responsive materials under the FRESH program at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Over the next 60 months, AeroVironment will develop new polymers, biologically-driven materials, and AI-powered testing and evaluation to enhance the performance and resilience of Air Force assets across air, space, and weapons systems.

Why it matters

This contract will help the U.S. Air Force maintain its technological edge by accelerating the development of adaptive, high-performance materials and biologically inspired systems. The research aims to reduce lifecycle costs, increase resilience, and optimize mission-critical assets through innovations in flexible electronics, smart materials, and synthetic biology.

The details

Under Task Order 0003, AeroVironment will integrate biologically driven methods for material degradation, rare earth extraction, and human-machine teaming with advances in flexible electronics, additive "smart" materials, biomimetic design, and synthetic biology. The work will leverage artificial intelligence to speed discovery, testing, and environmental evaluation in order to sustain and optimize mission-critical assets, enhance human performance, and ensure breakthroughs transition from the lab to the field.

  • The 60-month period of performance began in January 2026.

The players

AeroVironment, Inc.

An advanced research and development leader that has been awarded a $75 million task order by the U.S. Air Force to develop next-generation biotechnology and materials science.

UES

A division of AeroVironment, Inc. that will be carrying out the $75 million contract to advance biotechnology and smart materials for the U.S. Air Force.

U.S. Air Force

The military branch that has awarded the $75 million task order to AeroVironment's UES division to support the development of innovative materials and biomanufacturing under the FRESH program.

Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)

The organization that AeroVironment will be working with as part of its ongoing efforts to develop advanced materials and systems for the U.S. Air Force.

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What’s next

The research and development work under this contract is expected to continue over the next 5 years, with the goal of transitioning new biotechnology and smart materials breakthroughs from the lab to operational use by the U.S. Air Force.

The takeaway

This contract award highlights the U.S. Air Force's commitment to investing in cutting-edge materials science and biomanufacturing research to maintain its technological superiority. The innovations developed through this partnership with AeroVironment could have far-reaching impacts on the performance and resilience of future Air Force systems.