SYOS Aerospace
About
About SYOS Aerospace
SYOS Aerospace is a New Zealand-founded developer of uncrewed systems with headquarters and engineering and production facilities in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. It designs air, ground, surface and underwater vehicles alongside AAIMS, its common autonomy and command-and-control architecture. Applications include defence logistics, surveillance, maritime inspection and civil operations. Its December 2025 acquisition of underwater-robotics specialist Bay Dynamics expanded its subsurface engineering capability.
A March 2026 New Zealand Defence Force contract covers SM300 surface vessels, SA2 and SA7 aircraft and SG400 ground vehicles, together with experimentation, training and support. In April, SYOS declared the SA200 heavy-lift helicopter ready for serial production after autonomous trials. It introduced the SU10 underwater vehicle in May for missions including subsea infrastructure protection and mine countermeasures. The portfolio combines vehicle development, autonomy software and operational support, with maturity varying across individual systems.
Operations
Facilities & manufacturing
- Production setup
2026-04-20 - SYOS completed autonomous mission trials for the SA200 and declared it ready for serial production. - SA200 readiness for serial production
Source
Funding
- 2026-09-22 - Convertible note - SYOS Aerospace raises first institutional funding
SYOS Aerospace completed an amount-undisclosed convertible-note financing, its first institutional capital. - source: tectonicdefense.com
Investors
- Altered Capital - Participant - VC - 1 funding event - first seen 2026-09-22
- NZVC - Lead - Unknown - 1 funding event - first seen 2026-09-22
- Outset Ventures - Lead - VC - 1 funding event - first seen 2026-09-22
- Undisclosed strategic investors - Participant - Unknown - 1 funding event - first seen 2026-09-22
Team
- Sam Vye - Chief Executive Officer and Founder
- Jamie Bennett - Chief Commercial Officer - Joined SYOS in October 2026 to lead global commercial strategy across defence and civil markets.
- Olly Todd - Chief of Programmes and Operations - Joined SYOS in October 2026 to lead global programmes and operations, coordinating engineering, production and commercial delivery.
Timeline
Events
- 2026-10-01 - Executive Hire - SYOS appoints commercial and programmes chiefs
Bennett brings 23 years in the Royal Air Force and subsequent defence-strategy and commercial experience. Todd brings 28 years in the Royal Marines and wider UK Defence, including work with Task Force KINDRED and UK Defence Innovation. Bennett will lead global commercial strategy; Todd will coordinate global programmes and operations across engineering, production and delivery.
Source - 2026-09-22 - Funding - SYOS Aerospace raises first institutional funding
NZVC and Outset Ventures co-led the round, with Altered Capital and undisclosed strategic investors participating. SYOS plans to use the capital for R&D, production capacity and international operations. The company develops uncrewed aircraft, ground vehicles, surface vessels and underwater vehicles around its AAIMS autonomy layer.
Source - 2026-05-21 - Market Signal - SYOS introduces SU10 uncrewed underwater vehicle
The SU10 offers four-hour battery endurance or indefinite operation from surface power. AAIMS enables operators to plan, task and re-task vehicles across domains in real time. A late-2026 Antarctic research deployment was announced as planned and is not treated as completed.
Source - 2026-04-20 - Market Signal - SYOS clears SA200 for serial production after autonomous trials
Trials included autonomous take-off and landing from a moving platform to replicate shipborne and vehicle-based operations. The milestone followed a five-year development programme. Production readiness is recorded separately from actual production volume or customer deliveries.
Source - 2026-03-02 - Partnership - SYOS secures New Zealand Defence Force multi-domain contract
The programme includes SM300 surface vessels, SA2 and SA7 aircraft, and SG400 ground vehicles. SYOS will provide technical services, training and operational support for NZDF personnel. The work supports experimentation, evaluation and integration rather than an already completed fleet deployment.
Source - 2025-12-22 - Acquisition - SYOS acquires underwater-robotics specialist Bay Dynamics
Bay Dynamics develops underwater vehicles for inspection, construction and repair, including oil-and-gas and civil-engineering work. Its systems include tethered and autonomous configurations for conditions such as strong currents and polar temperatures.
Source
Relations
Relationships
- Bay Dynamics
Acquired Company - SYOS acquired Bay Dynamics to expand its underwater robotics and subsurface engineering capabilities.
- New Zealand Defence Force
Commercial Order - SYOS supplies NZDF with multi-domain uncrewed platforms plus experimentation, training, technical services and operational support.
Context
Comparable profiles
- SubSea Craft
comparable profile - Defence Maritime Autonomy Builder
- SubSeaSail
comparable profile - Defence Maritime Autonomy Builder
- Austal
comparable profile - Defence Maritime Autonomy Builder
Context tags
- Defence maritime autonomy builder - Peer Group - https://syos-aerospace.com/syos-drones-to-boost-defence-capability/ - exact reviewed source supports this bounded context.
- Aerial autonomy technology stack - Stack Layer - https://syos-aerospace.com/ - exact reviewed source supports this bounded context.
- Autonomous surface vessel builder - Peer Group - https://syos-aerospace.com/ - exact reviewed source supports this bounded context.