Aalto

History

2023: Building a Company

On January 23, 2023, it became known about the decision of Airbus to allocate a business for the production of drones for telecommunications to an independent company. We are talking about the Zephyr project.

According to the Financial Times newspaper, operations related to the development of high-altitude drones based on solar energy Zephyr are allocated to a structure called Aalto. It is formed with the aim of developing telecommunication solutions and means of remote sensing of the Earth (remote sensing). Airbus has turned to Morgan Stanley to find partners and accelerate the commercialization of the new initiative.

Zephyr can remain airborne for months and provide an alternative method of connecting to communication networks in rural and sparsely populated areas. The latest modification of the Zephyr Z8 has a wingspan of 25 m with a weight of only 75 kg. The drone is designed for flights at an altitude of about 21 km - over commercial airlines. Airbus has tested drones in partnership with the US Army, designing them to meet the possible needs of the armed forces, government agencies and some business users.

Airbus reportedly intends to retain ownership of Aalto, although it will consider external investment. The idea of ​ ​ separating the business into an independent structure is to attract like-minded partners to participate in the project and be able to scale this direction.

Airbus is not a telecommunications provider. The company wants to use the positives demonstrated by the stratosphere during testing to prepare the project for commercialization as an advanced surveillance and communications platform for government and business customers, it said.[1]

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