Explosive drone at heart of lawsuit

AeroVironment Inc. has been accused of trying to conceal that employees transported a drone rigged with explosives on a commercial f light and then retaliated against a manager who told the government.

In April 2015, AeroVironment workers traveled to Los Angeles from Salt Lake City on a Delta Air Lines flight with at least one of them toting an explosiveladen drone in a carry-on bag, according to a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court. There were about 230 civilian passengers aboard, the April 18 complaint says.

The plaintiff, Mark Anderson, who oversaw security for the Monrovia company’s top-secret government programs, learned of the incident in May 2015, according to the complaint. After reporting it to the U.S. Department of Defense, he was stripped of his responsibilities and ultimately fired, Anderson alleges.

Aurelius Value, a shortseller, highlighted the lawsuit in a report Thursday, saying the allegations could disrupt AeroVironment’s relationship with government agencies. Sales to the U.S. account for about 55% of the firm’s revenue.

An AeroVironment spokesperson said in a statement Thursday that the complaint “contains baseless legal claims that are without merit,” and that the company will “defend itself vigorously once it is served with the complaint.”

A Delta spokesman had no immediate comment.