C-Astral

Slagorde · Vliegtuigfabrikanten · Slovenia

C-Astral

C-Astral d.o.o. · C-Astral Aerospace Ltd

From a small town in Slovenia’s Vipava valley, C-Astral builds hand-launched drones named after a burrowing insect that now scout for armies from Ukraine to Bangladesh and map fields for farmers.

ActiefStatus
5Vliegtuigen geregistreerd
1Luchtmachteenheden die met dit type vliegtuigen vliegen
Photo: Italian Army / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)
LandSloveniëHoofdkwartierAjdovščinaStatusActief
Het verhaal

C-Astral: the company and the aircraft that made its name

The mole cricket

C-Astral’s best-known aircraft is named after an insect: the Bramor takes its name from the European mole cricket, Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa. The company, based at Ajdovščina in western Slovenia, builds small fixed-wing drones launched by catapult or bungee and recovered by parachute. The military Bramor C4EYE weighs under 5 kg, carries a stabilised day, infrared and laser-illuminator camera, sends encrypted video over a mesh radio network and stays up for about three and a half hours, with an operating radius of 42 km.

Soldiers and surveyors

The same airframe has a civilian life. The Bramor ppX is a survey-grade mapping drone able to produce sub-centimetre ground resolution, and the Bramor aGX is set up for precision agriculture, mapping soil and crops to guide fertiliser. The smaller Atlas AS90X, around 3 kg, fits in a backpack for first responders and special forces. The C4EYE has been in combat service since the mid-2010s, and Wikipedia lists Slovenia, Italy, Cyprus, Montenegro, Cameroon, Ukraine and the Bangladesh Army among its operators.

Beyond line of sight

C-Astral has also worked at the regulatory edge of drone flying. It says its systems enabled the first Canadian beyond-visual-line-of-sight fixed-wing flight in February 2017, that it has taken part in three European SESAR air traffic research consortia, and that its aircraft have been evaluated by US Special Operations Command. In 2025 it showed the SQA eVTOL, a vertical take-off drone with a three-hour endurance, and a stealthy delivery drone. The company claims more than 120,000 flight hours across over 70 countries.

From a small town in Slovenia’s Vipava valley, C-Astral builds hand-launched drones named after a burrowing insect that now scout for armies from Ukraine to Bangladesh and map fields for farmers.C-Astral · verified 2026-10-03
In één oogopslag

C-Astral in numbers

Het bedrijf

Kortom
Ajdovščina, Slovenia

  • Designs and builds small fixed-wing and VTOL drones
  • C-Astral group also includes a mapping service and a land-surveying firm
  • X-WORKS advanced projects division

Productie

Het meest bekend om
Bramor C4EYE

  • Bramor C4EYE military reconnaissance UAS
  • Bramor ppX survey and Bramor aGX agriculture versions
  • Atlas AS90X backpack UAS
  • SQA eVTOL multirole UAS

Vandaag

Nu
Actief

  • Company claims users in more than 70 countries on six continents
  • More than 10 government and 200 commercial and scientific operators (company figure)

De cijfers

Vlieguren
more than 120,000 (company figure)
Countries of operation
more than 70 (company figure)
Bramor C4EYE endurance
3.5 hours
Bramor C4EYE max take-off weight
4.7 kg
Het vliegtuig

Every notable C-Astral aircraft

Vliegtuig Rol Eerste vlucht Gebouwd Status Opmerking
C-Astral Bramor C4EYE Mini tactical reconnaissance UAS In productie NATO class 1; in service since mid-2010s
C-Astral Bramor ppX Survey and mapping UAS In productie PPK GNSS; up to 3 hours
C-Astral Bramor aGX Precision agriculture UAS In productie
C-Astral Atlas AS90X Backpack UAS In productie Under 3 kg, up to 1.5 hours
C-Astral SQA eVTOL Multirole VTOL UAS In productie Up to 3 hours; SQA2 shown 2025
Wie vliegt ermee?

C-Astral aircraft in the world’s air forces

1 air forces in the Order of Battle fly or flew C-Astral types. Eén ervan heeft er nog één in gebruik.

Luchtmacht In dienst Voorheen gevlogen
Sloveense luchtmacht en luchtverdediging C-Astral Bramor and Belin
Plaatsen, mensen, archieven

Where C-Astral built, who led it, what it achieved

Fabrieken

  • Headquarters and factory · Ajdovščina, Slovenia

Records en primeurs

  • Enabled the first Canadian beyond-visual-line-of-sight fixed-wing UAS flight, February 2017 (company claim)
Tijdlijn

C-Astral, year by year

2015

Bramor C4EYE in operational service by the mid-2010s

2017

First Canadian BVLOS fixed-wing flight with C-Astral systems (company claim)

2025

MWT delivery drone and SQA2 eVTOL unveiled at AUVSI Xponential

Vragen en antwoorden

Everything people ask about C-Astral

Where is C-Astral based?
In Ajdovščina, western Slovenia.
What is the Bramor C4EYE?
A small hand-launched military reconnaissance drone weighing under 5 kg, with about 3.5 hours endurance and a day, infrared and laser camera.
Who uses C-Astral drones?
Operators of the Bramor C4EYE include the armed forces of Slovenia, Italy, Cyprus, Montenegro, Cameroon, Ukraine and Bangladesh, plus many civilian survey users.
Why is it called Bramor?
It is named after the European mole cricket.

Vervolg de rondleiding

Around C-Astral

SloveniëPipistrelNamed after the bats its founder’s illegal dusk flights resembled, Pipistrel grew from Yugoslav hang-glider trikes into the maker of the world’s first…Read the Pipistrel pageDe indexAlle vliegtuigfabrikantenElk bedrijf dat een vliegtuig heeft gebouwd dat door de luchtmacht is gebruikt in de huidige en historische gevechtsorde.Open de lijst
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Geverifieerd op 3 oktober 2026.