What AVID does

AVID LLC, doing business as Air Vehicle Integrated Design, is a privately held aerospace engineering and software development firm headquartered in Yorktown, Virginia. Founded in 2002 by Paul A. Gelhausen, the company designs and manufactures ducted-fan unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and develops an integrated suite of multidisciplinary aircraft design software. AVID's hardware portfolio centers on the proprietary ducted-fan architecture, with core platforms including the EDF-8 electric ducted-fan UAV (a soccer ball-sized vehicle with 1 lb payload capacity and 30-minute endurance), the tethered Watchman Te-UAS for persistent operations, and the combat-proven T-Hawk MAV (developed under subcontract with Honeywell for DARPA, with 30,000+ flight hours logged across Iraq, Afghanistan, and Fukushima nuclear facility assessment). Special-purpose variants include the Canary for hazardous-environment air-quality sensing.

AVID's software suite comprises five integrated tools: AVID ACS (interdisciplinary aircraft synthesis for early-stage design from small UAVs to supersonic STOVL fighters), APEX (medium-fidelity aerodynamic analysis through subsonic to supersonic regimes), OAV (multidisciplinary optimization for ducted-fan and multi-rotor VTOL UAVs), PAGE (NURBS-based parametric geometry engine), and VorView (vortex-lattice aerodynamic tool). The suite is engineered as a geometry-centered workflow where PAGE feeds APEX and VorView for analysis, with ACS and OAV enabling synthesis and optimization. Underlying technical capability includes approximately 30 man-years of applied CFD spanning linear theory methods to Navier-Stokes solvers, anchored by personnel such as Director of Software Products Charles "Chip" Fenno, Ph.D., with NASA-Langley post-doctoral training in aeroacoustics.

AVID operates three revenue streams: UAV hardware sales (low-volume, professional-grade platforms targeted at defense, public safety, and industrial inspection), software licensing for its design tools (sold via direct contact, no public pricing), and engineering services spanning aerodynamics, CFD, controls, modeling and simulation, propeller design, and vehicle optimization. The customer base spans defense (US military via DARPA/Honeywell, US Air Force), aerospace (Griffon Aerospace as a long-term engineering services client), higher education (autonomous SLAM-based naval inspections), and energy/facility operators (hazardous-environment inspections). Go-to-market is sales-led and direct, with no public e-commerce or distribution partners. The company remains founder-controlled with no external funding rounds and no disclosed revenue figures.

Name

AVID

Legal name

AVID LLC

Website

https://avidaerospace.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AVID LLC is a privately held Yorktown, Virginia-based aerospace engineering firm that designs ducted-fan UAVs (EDF-8, Watchman, T-Hawk MAV, Canary) and an integrated aircraft-design software suite, serving defense, aerospace, education, and industrial-inspection customers through hardware sales, software licensing, and engineering services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Aerospace Engineering

NAICS

Aircraft Manufacturing (336411), Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (33641), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Aircraft (3721), Aircraft & Parts (3720), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)

akta.pro primary industry

VTOL & Hybrid UAV Platforms (IMABAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fixed-Wing Unmanned Aircraft (UAV) (IMABAIAB), Military Avionics, Mission Computers & Flight Controls (IMABAMAE), Avionics Software, Certification & Safety-Critical Systems (DO-178/DO-254) (IMABAFAK)

Keywords

• Duct fan UAVs
• Aerospace engineering services
• Aircraft design software
• CFD analysis services
• Unmanned aerial vehicles

Headquarters

HQ city

Yorktown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. UAV Hardware Sales: Sale of professionally engineered ducted fan UAV platforms including EDF-8, Watchman, and historical T-Hawk. Products target military, public safety, and industrial inspection applications. Revenue from initial product sales with potential for customization.
2. Software Products: Licensing and sale of AVID's software suite including ACS, APEX, PAGE, VorView, and OAV. Available in GUI and command-line versions for Windows and Mac. Professional-grade aircraft design and optimization tools.
3. Engineering Services: Aerospace engineering consulting including aerodynamics, CFD, controls, modeling & simulation, propeller designs, and vehicle design optimization. Services provided to aerospace industry customers requiring conceptual and preliminary design expertise.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

AVID designs, develops, and manufactures ducted-fan unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) including the EDF-8, Watchman, and the combat-proven T-Hawk MAV, along with a proprietary software suite (ACS, APEX, OAV, PAGE, VorView) for multidisciplinary aircraft design and analysis. The company also provides aerospace engineering services spanning aerodynamics, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), controls, flight dynamics, propeller design, and vehicle design optimization to defense agencies, aerospace primes, and industrial inspection customers.

Product overview

AVID LLC (Air Vehicle Integrated Design) is an aerospace engineering and software development firm offering a portfolio of professionally engineered ducted-fan UAV platforms and aircraft design software. The product line consists of two core hardware product families: the EDF-8 electric ducted-fan UAV (with specialized variants including AVID Canary for sensing applications and AVID Watchman for tethered operations) and the T-Hawk MAV developed with Honeywell. Supporting the hardware is the AVID Software Suite, an integrated platform combining five software tools: AVID ACS for aircraft synthesis, AVID APEX for aerodynamic analysis, AVID OAV for VTOL optimization, AVID PAGE for parametric geometry modeling, and AVID VorView for vortex lattice analysis. The software tools are designed to work together in an integrated workflow where PAGE generates geometry that feeds into APEX or VorView for aerodynamic analysis, while ACS and OAV enable multidisciplinary synthesis and optimization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AVID EDF-8: Electric ducted-fan UAV engineered and designed to navigate indoors, outdoors, and in tight spaces. Soccer ball-sized, capable of vertical takeoff and hovering flight with 1 lb payload capacity.
• AVID Watchman
• T-Hawk

Products and services

• AVID EDF-8 An electric ducted-fan UAV engineered for indoor, outdoor, and tight-space navigation with VTOL capability, 1 lb payload capacity, 10-inch diameter, 30-minute endurance, and 0.62-mile range. Shroud-protected fan design ensures operator safety.
• AVID Watchman A tethered ducted-fan VTOL UAS (Te-UAS) for persistent operations with indeterminate endurance via tether power. Features enclosed dynamic components, 20-inch duct supporting 10 lb payload at 400 ft AGL with 45 dB acoustic signature.
• T-Hawk MAV A combat-proven ducted-fan micro air vehicle (MAV) developed with Honeywell for DARPA, providing real-time situational awareness with hover-and-stare capability. Features VTOL, 45-50 minute endurance, rapid 10-minute assembly. Deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Japan nuclear facility assessments.
• AVID Canary A specialized model of the AVID EDF-8 equipped with air quality sensors for inspecting hazardous areas such as biohazard containers, coal or gas burners, waste containers, and nuclear reactor compartments. Transmits safety level data to protect workers in hazardous environments.
• AVID Software Suite An integrated suite of professional-grade air vehicle design tools combining AVID ACS, APEX, OAV, PAGE, and VorView. Geometry-centered analysis enables multidisciplinary optimization for aircraft design requirements across conceptual through preliminary design stages.
• AVID ACS (AirCraft Synthesis) A widely-used interdisciplinary aircraft synthesis program for early design stages, applicable to conceptual design studies from small UAVs to supersonic STOVL fighters. Features geometry-based design through GUI or command-line batch operation, detailed takeoff/landing analysis, and economics analysis for transport designs.
• AVID APEX (Aerodynamic Prediction EXpress) A comprehensive medium-fidelity aerodynamic analysis tool for full aircraft configurations, analyzing complex geometries through subsonic, transonic, and supersonic flight regimes at arbitrary angles-of-attack and sideslip conditions. Based on vortex-lattice analysis supplemented with 2D airfoil analyses.
• AVID OAV (Organic Air Vehicle) A bottom-up multidisciplinary optimization code for design and analysis of ducted fan and multi-rotor VTOL UAVs. Geometry-driven tool incorporating advanced methods for critical evaluations across all aircraft design disciplines, with libraries of payloads, avionics, electronics, engines, and batteries.
• AVID PAGE (Parametric Aircraft Geometry Engine) A rapid parametric modeler enabling users to create 3D geometries using standard aircraft parameters. Supports NURBS for curvature-continuous geometry, calculates mass properties including weights, moments of inertia, and center of gravity. Exports to CAD tools and feeds AVID APEX or VorView for aerodynamic analysis.
• AVID VorView A sub/super-sonic aerodynamic tool using the Vortex Lattice Method to translate geometry to performance, trim, stability, and control. Evaluates aerodynamic properties based on aircraft geometry, attitude, and velocity. Compatible with AVID PAGE for geometry import.
• Aerospace Engineering Services Professional engineering consulting services spanning aerodynamics, air vehicle analysis, CFD analysis (with 30+ years of expertise using NASA TetrUSS, FUN3D, CFL3D, and OVERFLOW), controls, modeling and simulation, propeller designs, and vehicle design optimization for aerospace industry customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ducted fan UAVs carry 4x the payload of similar footprint fixed- or open-rotor UAVs
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Google CloudcoreTechnology or Integration · 17 April 2026Multi-year partnership announced to integrate generative and agentic AI into Avid's media production tools, including Media Composer and Avid Content Core. Collaboration embeds Google Cloud's Gemini models and Vertex AI to automate post-production tasks, enable natural language search for media libraries, and allow AI-driven assistants to perform editing tasks like matching visual styles and timeline creation. Avid Content Core is now generally available and being showcased at NAB Show.
• Honeywell (T-Hawk Program)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAVID, in subcontract with Honeywell, assisted in the design of T-Hawk ducted-fan micro air vehicle as part of an accelerated DARPA project. AVID provided unique design expertise and comprehensive design and analysis tools, including aerodynamic performance analysis and design of aerodynamic components (fan, stators, control vanes). T-Hawk was first-ever deployed VTOL ducted-fan MAV, successfully deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since 2007.
• Griffon AerospacecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLong-term engineering services partnership. AVID has provided CFD work optimizing wing designs, horizontal stabilizer incidence, and rotor blade optimization. Customer testimonial highlights excellent service on several projects and product developments.
• DARPAflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAVID partnered with Honeywell on accelerated DARPA project to develop first-ever deployed VTOL ducted-fan micro air vehicle (T-Hawk). AVID provided unique design expertise and comprehensive design and analysis tools for the MAV program.
• US Air Force (CCA Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAVID CTO Paul Gelhausen contributes technical perspective on Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. AVID ACS applied to unoccupied aircraft concepts for multidisciplinary synthesis. Program emphasis on software-driven autonomy, modularity, and quick incremental development cycles.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCAVid
• Xx.com/AVIDLLCAero
• Facebookfacebook.com/avidaerospace

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AVID