Aeros Files Suit Against Navy

Aeros Aeronautical Systems Corp. this week filed a lawsuit against the Navy seeking damages of about $65 million.

The suit, filed in federal district court in Los Angeles, seeks damages for the alleged destruction of an Aeros blimp while in a Navy-owned hangar. On October 7, 2013, the suit alleges, a section of the hangar roof -- about 50 feet by 70 feet -- fell on the aircraft, "rendering it a complete loss."

The suit alleges that the Navy had been aware of defects in the hangar since 1997, when it commissioned a structural evaluation of the hangar. "However, between the 1997 structural evaluation and the 2013 roof collapse, the Navy performed no maintenance or repair work on the roof of the hangar," the suit states.

Aeros filed a claim with the Navy last year, but the Navy denied it, the suit adds. The company is seeking $65 million in damages as well as "additional sums" related to the loss of a $3 billion capital financing campaign that was not able to move forward, according to the document.