SECTION · AVIATION · THE AIRSHIP PROJECT

AERONOVA — airships on a Ministry of Industry license

A start-up that, according to multiple critics since 2022, was incapable of ever clearing real aviation regulation. On April 1, 2026, it cleared it.

AERONOVA — legally OOO AERONOVA — officially launched as a project on March 4, 2025, though retail funding had already begun in August 2024. The engineering core spans four senior designers with 40+ years each. The chief designer is Dmitry Khmel, a helicopter engineer from Moscow Aviation Institute and a candidate of technical sciences. The company is registered in Russia and holds an indefinite-term Ministry of Industry license for lighter-than-air aircraft research and engineering documentation.

NOVA-01 · 130 m³ · airborne over the Voskresensk airfield
NOVA-01 · 130 m³ · airborne over the Voskresensk airfield

ENTITY & LICENSE

Legal entity
OOO AERONOVA · INN 7100032055 · OGRN 1237100000554
EGRUL extract
Address
Moscow, Leningradskoe shosse 37, bldg. 1, premises 1P · 125212
Project launch
March 4, 2025 (retail funding from August 2024)
Chief designer
Dmitry Khmel (Moscow Aviation Institute, Ph.D., 40+ years)
Design bureau head
Boris Ivchenko (Bauman MSTU, academician)
Technical director
Fyodor Konstantinov (MSTU Stankin, ex-Angara chief technologist)
Headcount
45+ professionals (2025) · up from 24+15 contractors (Oct 2024)
Ministry license
Л007-00102-77/04708388 · Apr 1, 2026 · indefinite term
License scan
License activities (at address)
Scientific research · engineering design documentation · production technology documentation. Full manufacturing/testing/repair would require scope extension.
Issuing order
No. 1555 · Apr 1, 2026 · signed by N. Popova

FLOTILLA

NOVA-01
Unmanned test vehicle

130 m³ · 17 m · 112 kg · 20 kg payload · 2 × 5 kW motors · five 360° onboard cameras · flying since May 2025 · shell rupture Sep 2025, restored in 2 days

Aerolyot-01
Piloted hybrid

188 m³ · 18 m · 50 kg payload · four independent thrust motors · first full flight Jan 23, 2026 (vertical take-off, hover, maneuvering)

NOVA-2
Cargo / passenger / monitoring (in development)

2,000 m³ · 500 kg payload · 6 passengers · 500 km range · 200 hp Belgian petrol engine · three variants planned

NOVA-8
Intermediate platform (configuration phase)

8,000 m³ · mock-up and configuration work ongoing as of Q1 2026 · hangar construction planned for development stages 4–6

NOVA-35
Rigid heavy cargo (on the design board)

Rigid airship · 120 m × 24 m × 35,000 m³ · 10 tonnes cargo · carbon-fiber frame ~40 mm · 1:20 model under assembly

NOVA-01 in flight over the airfield · runway markings visible
NOVA-01 in flight over the airfield · runway markings visible
NOVA-01 against open sky
NOVA-01 against open sky
NOVA-01 in the hangar at sunset · scale reference with people
NOVA-01 in the hangar at sunset · scale reference with people
NOVA-01 inflated in the hangar on protective tarp
NOVA-01 inflated in the hangar on protective tarp
AERONOVA team with NOVA-01 at the airfield · field operations
AERONOVA team with NOVA-01 at the airfield · field operations
AERONOVA team with NOVA-01 · sunset after flight operations
AERONOVA team with NOVA-01 · sunset after flight operations
Aerolyot-01 · inflated in the hangar next to helicopter (scale reference)
Aerolyot-01 · inflated in the hangar next to helicopter (scale reference)
Aerolyot-01 · wide hangar view during build-up
Aerolyot-01 · wide hangar view during build-up
Aerolyot-01 · engineer working on the nose section
Aerolyot-01 · engineer working on the nose section
Aerolyot-01 · team celebration after the first full flight (January 23, 2026)
Aerolyot-01 · team celebration after the first full flight (January 23, 2026)
Aerolyot-01 · winter airfield operations at dusk
Aerolyot-01 · winter airfield operations at dusk
NOVA-01 in the hangar · public walk-through
NOVA-01 in the hangar · public walk-through
NOVA-2 gondola · 3D render with side-mounted ducted fans
NOVA-2 gondola · 3D render with side-mounted ducted fans
Propulsion unit with carbon-fiber propellers · airship thrust module
Propulsion unit with carbon-fiber propellers · airship thrust module

SHELL PRODUCTION · LYUBERTSY

In October–November 2025, the full complement of shell-production equipment was delivered to a facility in Lyubertsy, Moscow Oblast — the primary shell-manufacturing site (the Zhataya Shipyard in Yakutia had earlier been considered as an alternative). The facility came online through Q1 2026; commissioning concluded in March 2026 after additional flooring work to meet the 'mirror-smooth' flatness tolerance required by the HF welding station.

Floor area
~800 m² (original requirement 1,000–1,800 m²)
Welding
HF (high-frequency) welding machines — purpose-built for lighter-than-air fabric. Same equipment type used in Chinese AC-700 airship production.
Compressed air
Trunk laid through the shop. Compressor supplies pneumatics, HF electrodes, and cutting table.
Additive manufacturing
In-house 3D printers for gondola components, ABS parts, NOVA-2 fans and valves. NOVA-2 fans and valves already manufactured and flight-tested on NOVA-01 and Aerolyot-01 — 5× design safety factor confirmed.
First product
Large air receiver (~8 m × 3–3.5 m diameter) for endurance testing of NOVA-2 fans and valves.
Test stand
In-house stand for shell tension elements (grommets, patches, pockets) — commissioned, awaiting first runs. Destructive testing of new materials planned.
Shell repair / storage
Voskresensk — NOVA-01 was repaired there in 2 days after the September 2025 shell rupture incident.
Break-even
Estimated 30 NOVA-2-class shells per year required for the Lyubertsy line to pay for itself (Academy session, Jan 2026).
Lyubertsy shell shop · large-format cutting table for envelope pattern preparation
Lyubertsy shell shop · large-format cutting table for envelope pattern preparation
HF shell welding machine · bonding red fabric segments on the production rig
HF shell welding machine · bonding red fabric segments on the production rig
Long-format cutting line in Lyubertsy · envelope material feed and precision path setup
Long-format cutting line in Lyubertsy · envelope material feed and precision path setup
Lyubertsy shell line · camera team documenting CNC cutting workflow on the long bed
Lyubertsy shell line · camera team documenting CNC cutting workflow on the long bed

STRATOSPHERIC PROGRAM · BAUMAN MSTU

A parallel branch of the program — led by Arkady Didkovsky from the Stratospheric Systems Engineering Center at Bauman MSTU — develops stratospheric aircraft (stratostats). Shell technology, flight calculation methodology, and two welding techniques were developed in-house.

Launch 1 · March 2025
Altitude 24.5 km · duration 84 hours · ~10,000 km traveled · average 120 km/h, peak 196 km/h · Russian Book of Records entry.
Launch 2 · August 14, 2025
Launch site near Kirov, coordinated with Rosaviation. Ascent to 12 km; equilibrium altitude 17 km; overnight rise to 22.3 km; GPS peak 24,957 m.
Lab · January 2026
Thermovacuum chamber built in-house to simulate stratospheric conditions for hardware qualification.
Technology path
Zero-pressure helium balloons; hydrogen transition planned for future stages.
Stratostat inflation before launch · sunset, field site
Stratostat inflation before launch · sunset, field site
In-house thermovacuum chamber · simulating stratospheric conditions for hardware qualification (January 2026)
In-house thermovacuum chamber · simulating stratospheric conditions for hardware qualification (January 2026)

MICROTURBINES

The microturbine engineering group, led by Andrey Kostyukov (Moscow Automechanical Institute, transport gas-turbine engines — a dynasty continuing his father's work at the Soviet-era Gorky Automobile Plant), produced the first prototype units within a single year. The microturbine is the critical propulsion component for NOVA-8 and NOVA-35. Serial production will begin in China in 2026 — pilot batch of ~5 units in 2026, hundreds in 2027, thousands per month by 2028+. Unit price of RUB 22–25 million is below global benchmarks for comparable power output.

Microturbine 3D-printed prototypes (green and white) alongside Soviet-era turbine engineering documentation preserved by Kostyukov
Microturbine 3D-printed prototypes (green and white) alongside Soviet-era turbine engineering documentation preserved by Kostyukov
Microturbine assembly · centrifugal compressor, rotor, housing
Microturbine assembly · centrifugal compressor, rotor, housing

FINANCING ROUNDS

Financing is staged. Retail investors acquire stakes through Solar Group's capital acquisition platform. No dividend phase has started — payouts depend on asset valuation and share issuance scheduled after operational commissioning.

Round 0
$2.5M
August 2024
Round 1
$3M+
from March 4, 2025
Round 2
~$3.7–4M (against $5M target)
July 11 – December 26, 2025
Round 3
$5M target (in progress)
from December 27, 2025

Total capital acquired across Solar Group (Sovelmash + AERONOVA) during 2025: $25M+. Projected AERONOVA valuation: $1B+ at commercialization. Projected revenue window: $230M over 3–5 years. NOVA-2 unit price to customer: $2M — per the global airship pricing formula of $1M per 1,000 m³ of volume. Post-share-issuance capital structure: 49% investors, 51% team (100 shares = 1 equity unit; 1 share ≈ $1).

INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS

Bauman Moscow State Technical University
Signed contract on NOVA-2 gondola design · home of the stratospheric program (Didkovsky)
Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI)
Turbine engine calculations · chief designer Khmel is an MAI graduate
Dolgoprudny Design Bureau of Automatics (DKBA)
Shell materials consultation · participated in the January 2026 Academy session
Stratonautica
Joint work on stratostat shells
Academy of Aviation and Aeronautics Sciences
Held a formal industry review session at the AERONOVA office (January 2026)
Northern research-education center (NOC Sever), Yakutia
Arctic conditions · Aerolyot-01 applications

GOVERNMENT & EXHIBITION RECORD

  • Yakutia agreement — October 2025. Formal agreement to develop airships for the Russian Arctic (Northern Sea Route logistics, forest monitoring, infrastructure safety, tourism). Delegation visited Voskresensk airfield; ambassador Andrey Fedotov. Representatives of the Yakutia Plenipotentiary also visited the office.
  • Dubai Airshow 2025 — November 17–21, 2025. AERONOVA exhibited in the Vista startup pavilion among 120 aerospace startups. Delegation of 15, interpreters across English, French, Italian, and Arabic. 300+ contacts reported across buyers, partners, investors. Covered by Izvestia and Dutch TV.
  • Ministry license — April 1, 2026. Л007-00102-77/04708388, indefinite term. Verifiable via the Ministry of Industry public registry (QR codes on the extract).
  • 2025 Russian airship concept — TASS, December 22, 2025. The ten-year state concept for transport sector R&D through 2035 includes lighter-than-air aircraft. AERONOVA is not explicitly named in the TASS publication; the regulatory framework aligns.
  • Zhukovsky Readings — April 2026. AERONOVA presenting on NOVA-01, Aerolyot-01, and the stratospheric program.

DUBAI AIRSHOW 2025 · VISTA PAVILION

AERONOVA stand at the Dubai Airshow 2025 Vista pavilion · suspended airship model under the Academy arch
AERONOVA stand at the Dubai Airshow 2025 Vista pavilion · suspended airship model under the Academy arch
Suspended scale model of the airship over the lounge area
Suspended scale model of the airship over the lounge area
Stand interior · cutting-edge materials wall and meeting tables
Stand interior · cutting-edge materials wall and meeting tables
Stand brochures · 'Modern Airships As A Response To The Challenges Of Our Time'
Stand brochures · 'Modern Airships As A Response To The Challenges Of Our Time'
AERONOVA delegation at the Dubai Airshow 2025 Vista booth
AERONOVA delegation at the Dubai Airshow 2025 Vista booth
Commercial meeting at the booth with prospective Gulf-region customers
Commercial meeting at the booth with prospective Gulf-region customers
Booth wide view · airship scale model overhead, Saudi visitors on the floor
Booth wide view · airship scale model overhead, Saudi visitors on the floor
Booth staff at the information counter
Booth staff at the information counter

ZHUKOVSKY READINGS · APRIL 2026

Zhukovsky Readings · April 2026 · joint group photo after AERONOVA presentations
Zhukovsky Readings · April 2026 · joint group photo after AERONOVA presentations

YAKUTIA DELEGATION · VOSKRESENSK AIRFIELD

Yakutia delegation at the Voskresensk airfield · October 2025
Yakutia delegation at the Voskresensk airfield · October 2025
Yakutia representative in front of Aerolyot-01 in the AERONOVA hangar
Yakutia representative in front of Aerolyot-01 in the AERONOVA hangar

NEXT REGULATORY STEP

The Ministry of Industry license is, in the technical director's words, the 'first, opening' license. It will expand down the chain: developer → manufacturer → repair organization → operator. The next regulatory milestone is a Rosaviation developer certificate.

Target
Rosaviation developer certificate · application planned for the 4th program half-year.
Requirement
~450 documented business processes with demonstrated operation. Processes are maintained in T-Flex (the company's enterprise digital environment — team completed certified training in August 2025).
Quality system
ISO 9001 compliance required.
Staffing
Organizational structure and personnel qualifications must meet Rosaviation's regulatory requirements for design organizations.
Product certification
NOVA-2 will be certified in its unmanned variant first. The piloted variant will receive an airworthiness certificate as a single-unit specimen; a type certificate for piloted lighter-than-air craft is, per the chief designer, 'not achievable under current realities'.

SOURCES