Solar-powered stratospheric aircraft for connectivity and Earth observation
AALTO, an Airbus subsidiary in Farnborough, builds and operates Zephyr, a solar-powered high-altitude platform for connectivity and Earth observation. Its stack pairs flight-grade engineering tools (MATLAB, Simulink, Embedded C, C++) with a Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Platform back office. Engineering-dominated hiring and DO-178C certification pressure suggest the company is pushing Zephyr from flight trials toward certified operations.
AALTO is a privately held Airbus subsidiary founded in 2022 and headquartered in Farnborough, England. It manufactures, operates and provides services around Zephyr, a solar-powered aircraft that flies in the stratosphere for extended periods. Applications include connectivity and high-resolution Earth observation for commercial and government customers. The company employs 201–500 people and runs engineering, manufacturing and operations functions, including in-house production of avionics devices.
AALTO uses MATLAB, Simulink, C++, Embedded C and Python for flight systems, plus Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, Power Apps, Power BI, Azure DevOps and Primavera P6 for business and project operations.
Yes. Engineering dominates AALTO's hiring, with steady velocity and mostly mid and senior roles, alongside smaller manufacturing, ops and support needs tied to Zephyr development.
AALTO is focused on the Zephyr certification programme, Zephyr system design, flight control laws and GNC for autonomous high-altitude flight, airborne embedded software, and in-house avionics manufacturing.
Other companies in the same industry, closest in size
AALTO's technology stack, projects, and hiring signals are inferred from public hiring and company data — career pages, public listings, and company web presence — then clustered and de-duplicated. Figures are estimates that refresh over time. Read our full methodology →
This is not an official vendor or customer list. It is a technology-adoption signal inferred from public data, intended for B2B research.