Theiss UAV Solutions, formerly known as Theiss Aviation, is an American
aircraft manufacturer
An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, or spacecraft. Aerospace is a high technology industry.
...
based in
Salem, Ohio
Salem is a city in Columbiana County, Ohio, United States. The population was 11,915 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Salem was founded by Quakers in 1806 and played a key role in the Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist ...
. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of
unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft with no human pilot, crew, or passengers onboard, but rather is controlled remotely or is autonomous.De Gruyter Handbook of Dron ...
s and at one time produced
ultralight aircraft
Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and Aircraft flight control system, conventional three-a ...
in the form of kits for
amateur construction.
[Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition'', page 360. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. ]
The president is Rachel Theiss and vice president is Shawn Theiss.
History
The company was formed in 1991 to produce ultralight aircraft kits using a new inexpensive, light-weight construction technique. The company produced two 1930s-style replica designs for the homebuilt market, the
Theiss Speedster and the
Theiss Sportster, which was introduced in 1998.
As a result of these designs in 1998 the company was approached by the head of the Tactical Electronic Warfare Division's Offboard Countermeasures Vehicle Research Section,
United States Naval Research Laboratory
The United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is the corporate research laboratory for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. Located in Washington, DC, it was founded in 1923 and conducts basic scientific research, appl ...
to produce UAVs for the
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
. This resulted in the design of the
Theiss Tarzan, which entered Naval service as the ''Dakota II''.
The company stopped working on manned
general aviation
General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...
aircraft to concentrate entirely on UAVs. Rebranded in 2015, the company is now known as Theiss UAV Solutions, LLC. The company produces a series of UAVs, including the
Theiss NIRV (Nature Inspired Reconnaissance Vehicle) that is designed to resemble a soaring bird to conduct covert reconnaissance in urban and rural areas, with models that resemble a vulture, gull and hawk. The company also designs custom UAVs for customers.
Aircraft
References
External links
*{{Official website, http://www.theissaviation.com/
Unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturers of the United States
Homebuilt aircraft
Technology companies established in 1991
Manufacturing companies established in 1991
1991 establishments in Ohio
Manufacturing companies based in Ohio