Advanced Aircraft Company (AAC), a manufacturer of distributed electric propulsion tilt-wing and multi-rotor uncrewed aircraft vehicles (UAV), today announced the appointment of Vice Admiral David Architzel USN (Ret) to its board of advisors. With a distinguished career in the United States Navy and a wealth of strategic leadership experience in the private sector, Vice Admiral Architzel will play a pivotal role in guiding Advanced Aircraft Company’s future endeavors.
Collaborating closely with the AAC executive team, Vice Admiral Architzel will focus on strategy, capability development, and specifications aligned with the Department of Defense Pivot to the Pacific requirements. His exceptional leadership in both operational and strategic capacities will play a critical role in shaping AAC’s trajectory in the aerospace industry.
“I am excited to join the Advisory Board of Advanced Aircraft Company,” stated Vice Admiral Architzel. “The company’s commitment to innovation and excellence in aerospace technology development is exactly the kind of focus needed to ensure our warfighters have access to the finest weapon systems possible. I look forward to working with the talented team at AAC as they continue to develop solutions that address both commercial and defense sector needs”.
A seasoned naval aviator, Architzel has accumulated over 5,000 flight hours, with 4,300 in the Viking S3 and the rest spread across 30 different aircraft types as a test pilot at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. At sea, he served as the executive officer on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and later commanded the USS Guam and USS Theodore Roosevelt.
Architzel’s decorations include two Navy Distinguished Service Medals, the Defense Superior Service Medal, four Legions of Merit, three Meritorious Service Medals, the Navy Achievement Medal, and various service-related honors. He received the Spanish Naval Cross of Merit from King Juan Carlos of Spain, the Navy League’s John Paul Jones Leadership Award in 1998, and Iceland’s Knight of the Order of the Falcon. A 1973 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Architzel holds a degree in mathematics.
Architzel currently serves as Chairman of the Board for University Technical Services and Senior Advisor to the Miller Group.
“We are thrilled to have Vice Admiral David Architzel join our advisory team,” said Paul Allen, CEO of AAC. “His decades of military service, aviation expertise, and senior executive civilian roles will be invaluable to AAC as we continue developing and manufacturing next-generation UAS for defense and civil applications.”
AAC pushes the boundaries with innovative new approaches to fuselage, propulsion, and aerodynamic designs for next-generation UAVs. Current projects include the development of a unique aero-activated tilt-wing configuration UAV for NASA and a distributed electric multirotor UAV designed for United States Air Force tactical ISR missions under an AFWERX SBIR Phase II Contract.
