ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 23, 2026-- AeroVironment, Inc. (“AV” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global defense technology leader, today announced that Kevin McDonnell, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, has informed the Company of his decision to retire from AV, effective July 31, 2026.

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McDonnell joined AV in 2020. During his tenure as CFO, AV strengthened its balance sheet, enhanced its financial and operational discipline, completed strategic acquisitions and organic growth initiatives, and reinforced its capital allocation framework to drive long-term shareholder value.

“Kevin has played an important role in strengthening AV’s financial performance, driving improved profitability during a period of revenue, bookings and backlog growth,” said Wahid Nawabi, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. “On behalf of our Board and leadership team, I thank Kevin for his contributions to the Company and our finance organization. We wish him all the best in his retirement.”

McDonnell joined AV in 2020. During his tenure as CFO, AV strengthened its balance sheet, enhanced its financial and operational discipline, completed strategic acquisitions and organic growth initiatives, and reinforced its capital allocation framework to drive long-term shareholder value.

“It has been a privilege to work with Wahid and the team at AV during an important period for the Company, including with the successful integration of BlueHalo,” said Kevin McDonnell, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. “I am proud of the progress we have made in strengthening our financial foundation and supporting our strategy. AV is well positioned for the future, and I look forward to watching the Company’s continued success.”

AV is actively working to find a successor and McDonnell will continue to support through the transition period.

About AV

AeroVironment (“AV”) (NASDAQ: AVAV) 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 to meet the mission needs of today’s warfighter and tomorrow’s conflicts. At the core of these technologies lies AV_Halo™, a modular, mission-ready suite of AI-powered software tools that empowers warfighters and enables full-battlefield dominance: detect, decide, deliver. With a national manufacturing footprint and a deep innovation pipeline, AV delivers proven systems and future-defining capabilities at speed, scale, and operational relevance. For more information, visit www.avinc.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to, our ability to perform under existing contracts and obtain new ones; regulatory changes; competitor activities; market growth; product development challenges; and general economic conditions. For a more detailed discussion of these risks, please refer to AeroVironment’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to update forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events.

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Media Contact:
BJ Koubaroulis
pr@avinc.com
703.718.4060

Investor Contact:
Denise Pacioni
ir@avinc.com
805.795.4108

Source: AeroVironment, Inc.