About — Our history
Our history
From a fluid mechanics lab in Toulouse to the first converted prototype: the story of Kepplair Evolution in one thread.
History
2012
Kepplair Evolution is founded
The company is officially founded to carry the project forward.
2013
First Paris Air Show
Kepplair Evolution presents its project for the first time at the Paris Air Show (SIAE) at Le Bourget.
2017
First participation in AFF
Kepplair Evolution takes part in the international Aerial Firefighting (AFF) conference for the first time, the industry's leading event.
2019
First patent filed
The electric drop system that will become the KEDS is the subject of a first patent filing.
March 2026
France 2030 laureate
The French State and the Occitanie Region sign a €5 million grant for the programme as part of the France 2030 plan.
August 2026
First flight before conversion
The ATR 72 that will become the first KEPPLAIR 72 prototype reaches Toulouse-Blagnac by air.
A founding meeting
In June 2012, David Joubert — an airline pilot qualified on the Airbus A320 and Boeing 777 for over twenty years — meets professor Dominique Legendre in his laboratory at the Institut de Mécanique des Fluides de Toulouse (IMFT). The project's European and ethical dimension immediately wins the researcher over: this is the starting point of what will become Kepplair Evolution.
Growing institutional recognition
After a first patent filed in 2017 and the first industrial partners joining in 2019, the project is selected as a France 2030 laureate in 2021. Since 2024, the programme has also benefited from the official backing of the DGSCGC (France's civil security and crisis management directorate), which recognises the KEPPLAIR 72 as a project of national interest.
Industrial partnerships taking shape
Aerotec & Concept handles the airframe conversion in Toulouse-Blagnac, supported by ACIA Aero Group for the aircraft's supply and financing, while ST Group joined the programme in 2026 to manufacture composite parts. The full list of these partnerships is presented on our dedicated page.
See all our partnersA fundraising journey in several steps
An initial €1.5 million seed round in late 2024 was followed by a convertible bond round closed on 30 November 2025 for €3 million, then a €2 million equity stake from Avico — bringing the total secured to €5 million, complemented in March 2026 by €5 million in public funding from the French State and the Occitanie Region under France 2030. Full details of this fundraising are presented on our investors page.
See the investor spaceHeading toward entry into service
The first prototype, converted by Aerotec & Concept, arrives in Toulouse-Blagnac in summer 2026. The first flight and drop tests are planned for later that year, ahead of a targeted EASA certification and a demonstration at the 2027 Paris Air Show, with entry into service targeted for summer 2027.