Houlihan Lokey Advises Martin UAV

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Martin UAV has been acquired by Shield AI. The transaction closed on July 30, 2021.

Based in Plano, Texas, Martin UAV is a leading provider of highly differentiated unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and enabling flight control technologies for mission-critical military, civil and maritime applications. The company’s V-BAT series aircraft are some of the most technologically advanced UAS designed to address emerging Group I-IV UAS operational requirements. V-BAT’s proprietary, ducted fan fixed-wing vertical take-off and landing technology enables launch and recovery in virtually any operating environment, allowing the aircraft to make mid-flight transitions from horizontal flight to “hover-and-stare” at targets, providing superior intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. With a near-zero footprint, V-BAT requires no launch or recovery equipment and is ideally suited for operations in closely confined areas.

Shield AI is a fast-growing technology company that develops artificial intelligence and autonomous technologies for the defense industry. The company is venture-backed and built around a team of proven executives, warfighters with relevant national security experience, and world-class AI engineers. Shield AI is headquartered in San Diego, California, with satellite offices across the United States.

Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor to Martin UAV. This transaction underscores the firm’s continued global leadership and expertise in the unmanned systems market.

Houlihan Lokey’s Aerospace, Defense & Government (ADG) practice within the global Industrials Group is a leading M&A advisor to aerospace, defense, and government services companies. Since 2020, the team has closed more than 35 transactions worth nearly $8 billion in enterprise value. With a staff of approximately 30 investment bankers in Washington, D.C., London, and Los Angeles, Houlihan Lokey’s ADG practice is among the largest dedicated industry banking groups worldwide. In 2020, the Industrials Group was once again ranked as the No. 1 M&A advisor for all U.S. industrial transactions, according to Refinitiv.