Global Observer

Monrovia drone maker AeroVironment Inc. announced Tuesday that its massive robotic Global Observer aircraft successfully completed its first flight powered by a hydrogen-fueled propulsion system last week at Edwards Air Force Base. The milestone marked the beginning of high-altitude, long-endurance flight testing of the plane for the U.S. military. The company is developing the drone to stay aloft for a week at a time at a 65,000 feet ? vastly expanding the reach of military spy planes.

AeroVironment Inc., the Monrovia company that makes small hand-held drones and charging systems for electric vehicles, posted a 13% profit gain in its fourth quarter bolstered by an increase in sales. Earnings for the quarter that ended April 30 rose to $17.6 million, or 79 cents a share, from $15.6 million, or 71 cents, a year earlier. Analysts on average had forecast a profit of 69 cents. The results were reported after the close of regular trading. AeroVironment shares closed at $28.61, down 1 cent.

An experimental spy plane with a wingspan almost the size of a Boeing 747's took to the skies over the Mojave Desert last week in a secret test flight that may herald a new era in modern warfare with robotic planes flying higher, faster and with more firepower. The massive Global Observer built by AeroVironment Inc. of Monrovia is capable of flying for days at a stratosphere-skimming 65,000 feet, out of range of most antiaircraft missiles. The plane is built to survey 280,000 square miles ?

The gig: Timothy E. Conver, 67, is chief executive of AeroVironment Inc., the Monrovia-based manufacturer of swarms of tiny robotic spy planes that are being launched into the skies over Afghanistan. Hot planes: Once thought to be high-tech toys for aviation enthusiasts, remote-controlled planes play a crucial role in modern warfare. There are thousands of AeroVironment planes in the war zone and 1,300 more in next year's Pentagon budget. The company is the nation's largest provider of small drones, which have names such as Raven, Wasp and Digital Puma.

The gig: Timothy E. Conver, 67, is chief executive of AeroVironment Inc., the Monrovia-based manufacturer of swarms of tiny robotic spy planes that are being launched into the skies over Afghanistan. Hot planes: Once thought to be high-tech toys for aviation enthusiasts, remote-controlled planes play a crucial role in modern warfare. There are thousands of AeroVironment planes in the war zone and 1,300 more in next year's Pentagon budget. The company is the nation's largest provider of small drones, which have names such as Raven, Wasp and Digital Puma.

AeroVironment Inc., the Monrovia company that makes small hand-held drones and charging systems for electric vehicles, posted a 13% profit gain in its fourth quarter bolstered by an increase in sales. Earnings for the quarter that ended April 30 rose to $17.6 million, or 79 cents a share, from $15.6 million, or 71 cents, a year earlier. Analysts on average had forecast a profit of 69 cents. The results were reported after the close of regular trading. AeroVironment shares closed at $28.61, down 1 cent.

AeroVironment Inc., hurt by higher costs and increased spending on research, said its second-quarter earnings plunged 88%. But the quarterly results for the company, which makes robotic aircraft and charging systems for electric vehicles, were better than what analysts expected. Most anticipated that the Monrovia company would post a loss. Earnings for the quarter ended Oct. 30 fell to $262,000, or 1 cent a share, from year-earlier profit of $2.2 million, or 10 cents a share.

Bolstered by an increase in sales of drones to the U.S. military, Monrovia-based AeroVironment Inc. posted a 76% profit gain in its fiscal third quarter. Earnings for the quarter that ended Jan. 29 rose to $11.5 million, or 52 cents a share, compared with $6.5 million, or 30 cents, a year earlier. Analysts on average had forecast a profit of 38 cents a share. The results were reported after the close of regular trading. AeroVironment shares closed at $28.61, up 36 cents. They rose in after-hours trading, at one point up about 12% at $31.98.

President Alberto Fujimori's effort to persuade the world that democracy will, indeed, be restored here has been badly damaged, analysts say, by an army commander's recent decision to send tanks rumbling through the capital's streets to express displeasure with a congressional investigation of possible military wrongdoing. Gen.

The surge in oil prices has prompted plenty of drivers to consider biodiesel-powered or hybrid cars for their daily commute, but what about that gas guzzler we use to fly across country? Government and corporate researchers are looking into ways to power commercial jet engines with alternative fuels, although many caution that widespread use could be years or even decades away.

Bolstered by an increase in sales of drones to the U.S. military, Monrovia-based AeroVironment Inc. posted a 76% profit gain in its fiscal third quarter. Earnings for the quarter that ended Jan. 29 rose to $11.5 million, or 52 cents a share, compared with $6.5 million, or 30 cents, a year earlier. Analysts on average had forecast a profit of 38 cents a share. The results were reported after the close of regular trading. AeroVironment shares closed at $28.61, up 36 cents. They rose in after-hours trading, at one point up about 12% at $31.98.

Monrovia drone maker AeroVironment Inc. announced Tuesday that its massive robotic Global Observer aircraft successfully completed its first flight powered by a hydrogen-fueled propulsion system last week at Edwards Air Force Base. The milestone marked the beginning of high-altitude, long-endurance flight testing of the plane for the U.S. military. The company is developing the drone to stay aloft for a week at a time at a 65,000 feet ? vastly expanding the reach of military spy planes.

An experimental spy plane with a wingspan almost the size of a Boeing 747's took to the skies over the Mojave Desert last week in a secret test flight that may herald a new era in modern warfare with robotic planes flying higher, faster and with more firepower. The massive Global Observer built by AeroVironment Inc. of Monrovia is capable of flying for days at a stratosphere-skimming 65,000 feet, out of range of most antiaircraft missiles. The plane is built to survey 280,000 square miles ?

AeroVironment Inc., hurt by higher costs and increased spending on research, said its second-quarter earnings plunged 88%. But the quarterly results for the company, which makes robotic aircraft and charging systems for electric vehicles, were better than what analysts expected. Most anticipated that the Monrovia company would post a loss. Earnings for the quarter ended Oct. 30 fell to $262,000, or 1 cent a share, from year-earlier profit of $2.2 million, or 10 cents a share.

President Alberto Fujimori's effort to persuade the world that democracy will, indeed, be restored here has been badly damaged, analysts say, by an army commander's recent decision to send tanks rumbling through the capital's streets to express displeasure with a congressional investigation of possible military wrongdoing. Gen.

The cars begin rolling through the security checkpoints before dawn. Here, in a sprawling complex amid the craggy rock outcroppings of north San Diego County, 3,300 workers are building a new generation of weapons central to the military's vision for modern warfare. This is where General Atomics Aeronautical Systems makes the Predator and Reaper drones, robotic planes that can thread the rugged mountains of Pakistan, capture video images of terrorist hideouts and launch 500-pound Hellfire missiles to blast them apart.