Our history
2001
Zephyr concept conceived by Chris Kelleher, pilot and a world renowned expert in aerodynamics
2004
Zephyr 4 Australia flight demonstrates performance characteristics of a HALE UAV concept
2006
Zephyr 6 USA flight trials carry first communications and imaging payloads
2010
Zephyr 7 maiden flight in the USA achieves the official endurance world record of 14 days, 22 minutes, 8 seconds. Longer than any other aircraft, unrefueled
2011
First permission from EASA for flight in European civilian airspace
2013
The Zephyr project becomes part of Airbus
2014
Flight trial undertaken for a civil customer from a site near Dubai Airport – fully integrated into Dubai civil airspace
2016
British Ministry of Defence becomes first government customer
2017
First commercial customer
2018
Zephyr 8 beats previous world record set by us: almost 26 days of flight
Production site launch in Farnborough, named in honour of Chris Kelleher
2022
Airbus launches Airbus HAPS Connectivity Solutions as a dedicated subsidiary, leading Zephyr's commercialisation
Zephyr 8 sets the new record: over 64 days in the stratosphere, non-stop
2023
Airbus HAPS Connectivity Solutions rebrands as AALTO