Allen Gardner, a specialist in unmanned aerial systems design and development, has been appointed chief technology officer at Edge Autonomy.
The San Luis Obispo, California-headquartered unmanned technology company said Tuesday that Gardner will help the company keep pace with the demands of the future and the ever-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence and autonomous capabilities.
“Allen brings key experience in delivering innovations in the unmanned systems market that will help us deliver ideal solutions to our clients’ key challenges,” noted Edge Autonomy CEO John Purvis.
Gardner began his career at Northrop Grumman’s aerospace systems business, where he held the position of aeronautical engineer, creating software programs for command and control and real-time survivability analysis of LO aircraft missions, among other projects. In a later stint with the company, he ascended to the role of chief architect for special programs.
In between his two periods spent with Northrop, Gardner worked for AME Unmanned Aerial Systems as chief engineer, where he was the driving force behind the development of the SharkFin mission control system and the conceptual portion of the Fury UAS. The organization was subsequently acquired by Lockheed Martin.
Before coming to Edge Autonomy, Gardner served for five years as CTO at Skydweller Aero, a U.S.-Spanish company focused on solar-powered aircraft technologies.
The executive reportedly holds a specific mastery of UAS mission control and optimization as well as artificial intelligence broadly.
In Dec. 2022, Jennifer Hagerty was installed as chief human resources officer at Edge Autonomy and charged with leading the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices.
Edge Autonomy transitioned to its current brand identity from its previous name, UAV Factory, in February 2022.
