METAMORPHOSEINNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIESLet’s collaborate
ENGINEERED AS ONE

The integration is the innovation.

Commercially available technology. Carefully engineered interfaces. A mission-driven system that is more than a collection of parts.

SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

Four layers. One organism.

Every platform in the family shares the same functional architecture: sense, decide, move, connect. Subsystems are selected per mission, interface ratings and integration must be requalified as size, payload and operating conditions change.

LIFTING GASPAYLOAD + AIBALLONETBALLONET
SENSE
  • Gimballed EO/IR
  • LiDAR
  • Multispectral / hyperspectral
  • Thermal
  • Atmospheric & gas sensors
DECIDE
  • Edge AI compute
  • Mission scheduler
  • Sensor fusion
  • Change detection
  • Swarm tasking
MOVE
  • Flight control & autonomy
  • Vision-aided inertial navigation
  • Electric propulsion
  • Tether management
  • Energy system
CONNECT
  • Mesh radio links
  • Ground segment
  • Data downlink & tasking
  • Command & control
  • Secure communications
Test propulsion, sensing and ground integration
INTERACTIVE CUTAWAY

Inside the platform.

Select any node on the schematic to see what the subsystem does and why it is there.

EDGE AI

Embedded GPU module running onboard detection, tracking, and change analysis — with bandwidth reduction depending on the workload and evidence retained.

SUBSYSTEMS

Chosen per mission.

Filter by functional layer, then take any subsystem straight into the Lab to test it in a configured platform.

01 / SENSING

Gimballed multi-sensor vision

Stabilised electro-optical and infrared cameras combine daylight detail with thermal signatures. Multispectral and hyperspectral options extend observation to vegetation, materials, and environmental change.

Example: Tonbo Avenger S25 EO/IRTest in the Lab
02 / 3D MAPPING

LiDAR & terrain intelligence

Airborne laser scanning supports terrain models, canopy structure, infrastructure inspection, and volumetric surveys. Range, power, mass, and navigation accuracy must match the platform and operating altitude.

Example: YellowScan VoyagerTest in the Lab
03 / AUTONOMY

Mission-aware flight control

Commercial autopilots provide a foundation for flight management. Lighter-than-air dynamics, station-keeping, tether loads, fail-safe behaviour, and energy constraints require platform-specific integration.

Example: Embention Veronte for HAPSTest in the Lab
04 / RESILIENT NAVIGATION

Positioning beyond GPS

Vision-aided inertial navigation, terrain references, and sensor fusion reduce dependence on satellite positioning. Fusion of camera, inertial and terrain data maintains position through satellite-signal loss, with accuracy matched to light, terrain and sensor grade.

Example: Inertial Labs VINSTest in the Lab
05 / ONBOARD INTELLIGENCE

AI, where the data happens

Edge computing supports onboard detection, image filtering, change analysis, and sensor scheduling. Mission-specific models are evaluated for accuracy, power consumption, latency, and human oversight.

Example: NVIDIA Jetson Orin modulesTest in the Lab
06 / CONNECTED OPERATIONS

Mesh links & swarm coordination

Commercial mesh radios connect aerial and ground assets. The Mothership coordinates sensor tasking and drone deployment, engineered around communications resilience and safe separation.

Example: Doodle Labs Mesh RiderTest in the Lab
07 / SOLAR ENERGY

Solar-electric power architecture

Flexible photovoltaic modules and lightweight arrays are commercially available. Verify the exact vendor module efficiency, laminate mass, bend radius, encapsulation, cold/UV endurance and envelope bonding; cell-level figures are not installed-system figures. E_collected ≥ E_day_load + E_night_load / η_roundtrip is a necessary energy condition, not a persistence guarantee. Include shading, seasonal daylight, battery pack mass, heating, degradation, reserve, converter losses and worst-case propulsion demand.

Example: flexible CIGS & multi-junction film modulesTest in the Lab
08 / PRIVATE NETWORKS

Closed-circuit tactical mesh

Commercial MANET radios can support customer-controlled networks independent of public infrastructure. Verify the exact product encryption validation and firmware, antenna geometry, spectrum permission and link budget; no fixed range, air-gap status or zero-egress guarantee follows from using mesh radios.

Example: Silvus StreamCaster MANET radiosTest in the Lab
TRUST & PROVENANCE

Data you can stand behind.

Private mission networks

Commercial MANET radios can support customer-controlled networks independent of public infrastructure. Verify the exact product encryption validation and firmware, antenna geometry, spectrum permission and link budget; no fixed range, air-gap status or zero-egress guarantee follows from using mesh radios.

Verifiable data provenance

Hardware-rooted signing and protected timestamps can support an auditable chain of custody. Signatures demonstrate integrity after capture, not scene truth or legal admissibility; key management, calibration, access control and jurisdictional procedures remain essential.

Mobile ground nodes

Vehicle- and trailer-mounted CCTV, sensor masts and mesh radios are available product categories. Power autonomy follows actual load, usable storage, fuel availability, maintenance and environmental ratings.

Daughter-platform charging

Contact and close-range inductive charging can serve compatible landed UAVs. Receiver integration, docking accuracy, battery management, charging curve and enclosure rating must be verified for the selected products; no universal charging time or all-weather rating is claimed.

Vessel-tethered systems

Marine winches and heave-compensation equipment are available, but aerostat integration needs a dedicated mooring, vessel-motion and sea-state safety case. The 4/3-Earth geometric horizon is approximately 16.5 km at 16 m and 92 km at 500 m, before adding receiver height; usable sensor and radio ranges differ.

ENERGY & POWER

Where every watt goes.

Endurance is an energy problem. Indicative power allocation across subsystems for a mission-scale free-flight configuration.

Propulsion & station-keeping40–60%

Dominant load in free flight; scales with wind speed cubed. Tethered configurations remove most of this load.

Sensor payload15–30%

Gimballed EO/IR, LiDAR, and multispectral instruments; duty-cycled by the onboard mission scheduler.

Edge AI compute10–20%

Onboard filtering can reduce transmitted data; reduction depends on workload, detection thresholds and retained evidence.

Communications & avionics5–15%

Mesh radios, flight control, navigation, and health monitoring.

OPERATIONAL GUIDANCE

Flying the physics, not the brochure.

Weather & wind envelope

Ideal cruise propulsion power rises with airspeed cubed at fixed density and drag coefficient. Local seasonal wind statistics, gusts, icing, lightning and recovery limits must shape the operating envelope.

Gas handling & logistics

Helium is inert; hydrogen increases net lift by approximately 8% at equal pressure and temperature but adds flammability controls. Gas permeability and helium service intervals require envelope measurements. No in-flight gas replenishment is qualified here.

Payload–altitude trade

Available lift comes from displaced-air mass minus lifting gas and all system mass. Approximate volume per kilogram increases strongly with altitude; sensor resolution, navigation accuracy and revisit needs define the mission.

Airspace & oversight

National aviation rules, airspace permission, lighting, marking, telemetry, privacy and lawful human oversight are assessed per site and vehicle. An interactive configuration is not an approval to fly.

YOUR MISSION. OUR NEXT FRONTIER.

Let’s see what’s possible.

Discuss a mission