Spain’s Alpha Unmanned Systems Closes First Investment Round

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby

Madrid-based unmanned helicopter (UAV) manufacturer, Alpha Unmanned Systems (AUS),  has announced the closing of its first seed round of external investment capital. The round was led by UAV Factory co-founder Dr.Joseph Menaker, with participation from former CEO of UAVNavigation and current Director of International Business Development at Alpha, Tobias Webster, and Javier Castaño, co-founder of Agnitio and current CFO of Alpha. This funding will be leveraged to advance Alpha’s product development and improve upon its sales and marketing efforts.

“Alpha is very pleased and optimistic about the support and investment from one of the industry’s leading experts in Joseph Menaker,” said Alpha co-founder and CEO Eric Freeman. “Joseph knows a lot about the challenges and opportunities in building a fast-growing UAV company. His extensive experience in UAV manufacturing and sales is extremely helpful to us. The UAV industry is challenging and complex on many levels, and Alpha is dedicated to learning from the best in the industry.”

“Alpha Unmanned Systems is one of the few small independent UAV manufacturers in existence, with outstanding technology and an excellent team of professionals ready to expand production and distribution of their devices,” said Dr. Menaker. “I am pleased to know that my experience in this industry is going to be able to help further develop Alpha and take it to the next level of quality manufacturing.”

The company has completed direct international sales to institutional organizations (governments and the Armed Forces) and private entities alike, with clientele from Spain, Israel, USA, Greece, Indonesia, Georgia, Turkey, the European Union, and elsewhere. AUS’s experienced professional team and its devotion to its specific section of the market have earned it a spot in the global “top three” of its sector.

The company’s most recent offering, the Alpha 900, is a helicopter specially designed for missions in the marine environment. Its powerful combustion engine provides significant autonomy and payload capacity, enabling it to carry payloads of up to 4 kg for up to 4 hours. The A900 can autonomously take off and land on and from moving vessels with limited space, and its “STANAG Compliant” status ensures all critical systems are redundant. These factors make the A900 an ideal solution for navies, coast guard and intelligence operations, surveillance, target approach and reconnaissance at sea.

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Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer.