Kelluu Raises €15mn Series A to Build Europe’s Persistent Aerial Intelligence Layer and Strengthen NATO’s Surveillance Capabilities

Kelluu, the Finnish deep tech company operating the world’s largest autonomous airship fleet, led by Janne Hietala, has raised €15 million in Series A funding led by the NATO Innovation Fund with participation from Keen Venture Partners, Gungnir Capital, and Tesi. This follows Kelluu’s successful completion of two phases of NATO’s DIANA (Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic) program. 

Kelluu delivers 24/7 monitoring across vast areas using unmanned airships, combining wide-area coverage with drone-level intelligence. Designed to operate beyond the limits of extreme weather, GPS jamming, high costs, and regulatory constraints, the fleet enables continuous surveillance, data collection, and connectivity, supporting earlier threat detection and safer, more efficient operations.

As Europe accelerates defence investment to address capability gaps, persistent ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) has become a priority for strengthening NATO’s deterrence posture across the Eastern Flank, maritime regions, and the High North.

Kelluu’s autonomous airships bridge the gap between satellites and drones, combining long-duration persistence with high-precision sensing.

Existing technologies reflect earlier operational needs: satellites offer broad coverage but lack sufficient resolution, drones provide high-quality data but face limits in endurance and challenging environments, and ground-based radars remain fixed and vulnerable targets.

As threats evolve, from hybrid operations to GNSS jamming, persistent sensing is becoming critical. Built for extreme environments, Kelluu’s hydrogen-lift airships enable continuous, high-resolution monitoring where satellites and drones fall short.

The platform operates for 12+ hours and, with just five airships, can cover up to 30,000 square kilometres, roughly the size of Belgium.

For Janne Hietala, Kelluu was built in one of Europe’s harshest environments to develop persistent aerial intelligence as critical infrastructure, now rapidly becoming essential for both defence and national resilience.

For Kelluu, the funding provides a clear runway to refine its technology and scale operations. The platform supports NATO’s Eastern Flank while also enabling applications like infrastructure protection, wildfire detection, and data generation for next-generation physical AI, unified through a single fleet and data layer.

For Patrick Schneider-Sikorsky, Kelluu provides NATO nations with persistent, wide-area monitoring in challenging environments, maintaining coverage even under GPS jamming or harsh weather, at significantly lower cost than traditional systems.

Backed by NATO Innovation Fund and supported through DIANA, the platform strengthens deterrence, situational awareness, and resilience across the Alliance.

For Giuseppe Lacerenza, the gap between surveillance needs and existing capabilities is widening, with satellites, drones, and manned aircraft each facing critical limitations. Kelluu stands out by operating reliably in extreme conditions where others fall short, backed by a team shaped on one of Europe’s most exposed borders and proven leadership in scaling advanced technologies.

For Tero Vauraste, the support from investors reflects the growing importance of innovative technologies in strengthening future security.

Kelluu designs and operates autonomous hydrogen-powered airships capable of flying in temperatures as low as -33°C and under sustained GNSS jamming, while remaining silent and emission-free. The fleet has logged over 50,000 kilometres of flight, including 12-hour missions in Arctic conditions.

During Exercise Steadfast Dart 26 in Germany, Kelluu delivered real-time video and geolocation data to allied forces. Further tests across Finland and Norway confirmed interoperability with NATO Maritime Command.

Selected for DIANA, the platform integrates directly into allied systems for a unified operational picture.

Rising global tensions are accelerating the need for persistent intelligence, with Kelluu already supporting NATO and allied forces. Beyond defence, the broader mission is to build a continuous aerial infrastructure that enhances national resilience across security, critical systems, and the environment.

As a dual-use platform, the technology also supports civilian applications, including forestry monitoring, meteorology, and smart-city sensing, delivering high-resolution digital twins with cost advantages over traditional aviation.