Donecle
Donecle SAS provides automated drone-based aircraft inspection solutions for airlines, MROs, military operators and OEMs. Its patented laser-positioned Iris drones and AI image analysis software deliver fully autonomous, EASA/FAA-approved general visual, dent and coating inspections certified by Airbus and Boeing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersLabège, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Donecle does
Donecle SAS, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Toulouse, France, provides automated drone-based aircraft inspection solutions for the aviation industry. The company's core offering is the Iris family of fully autonomous drones (no pilot, no GPS) that use patented onboard laser positioning technology to capture high-resolution images of complete aircraft exteriors in hangars or outdoors, 24/7. The captured imagery is processed by proprietary AI-driven image analysis software that detects defects as small as 1mm², classifies damage, and positions findings relative to airframe structural elements, with results stored on a secured cloud platform that builds a digital aircraft history over time. The flagship Iris GVI drone is the only drone-based inspection solution listed in both Airbus and Boeing Aircraft Maintenance Manuals and approved by both EASA and the FAA.
The product line has expanded from Iris GVI (general visual inspection) to include Iris dentCHECK (integrating 8tree's 3D structured-light scanner for dent measurement), Iris CMX (a coating management tool co-developed with AkzoNobel), and component-level inspection inherited from the 2022 acquisition of Dronétix Technologie (covering engines and landing gear). A branded AirScan® military inspection service is co-developed and delivered with Dassault Aviation under the French DMAé MCO Ravel contract, deploying approximately 10 drone kits across Rafale bases and the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.
Donecle sells primarily via direct enterprise sales of multi-year contracts bundled with hardware, software subscription, training, and ongoing support. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Distribution is supplemented by Barfield (AFI KLM E&M's Americas subsidiary) as the official distributor in North, Central and South America. The customer base spans tier-one commercial airlines (United, Delta TechOps, KLM, Air France, Austrian Airlines, LATAM, Viva Aerobus, Jet Aviation), major independent MROs (AAR, LOTAMS, Regional Jet Center, HAECO, Tarmac Aerosave), aerospace OEMs (Airbus, Boeing, Dassault Aviation, Safran), and military operators (French Air Force, French Navy, Royal Air Force). Operations span 15+ countries with 40+ deployed drones, and the company is growing its team from 35 to approximately 45 employees following an April 2026 €10M Series B funding round.
Donecle firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Donecle
- Legal name
- Donecle SAS
- Website
- http://www.donecle.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Donecle SAS provides automated drone-based aircraft inspection solutions for airlines, MROs, military operators and OEMs. Its patented laser-positioned Iris drones and AI image analysis software deliver fully autonomous, EASA/FAA-approved general visual, dent and coating inspections certified by Airbus and Boeing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Donecle industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Automated drone aircraft inspection systems
- NAICS
- Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)
- SIC
- Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) & Multirotor Drones (IMABAIAA)
Keywords
Where Donecle is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Labège
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Donecle business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware sales (drone systems): Sale of automated drone units (Iris GVI, Iris dentCHECK) to airlines, MROs and military operators. Donecle 'provides its drone to' customers under multi-year contracts covering deployment and support.
- Software / cloud subscription: Image analysis software and secured cloud platform subscription enabling digital history of aircraft inspections, defect mapping, and report generation. Latest release delivered as part of drone contract.
- Professional services and training: Training, deployment support, technical partnership for new use cases (e.g., AFI KLM E&M trained ~10 people with 10 more being trained), and ongoing support services bundled with multi-year contracts.
- Managed / inspection services (AirScan®): Service-based deployment of the AirScan® solution for the French military (DMAé/Dassault MCO Ravel contract), distributing drone kits across Rafale bases and the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier — Donecle/Dassault deliver an inspection-as-a-service outcome.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Quote-based multi-year contracts |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Donecle product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Donecle designs, assembles and operates fully automated drones (no pilot, no GPS) using patented laser positioning technology to perform external visual inspections of aircraft. The drones capture high-resolution images that are processed by proprietary AI image analysis algorithms to detect defects, with results stored on a secured cloud platform to build a digital history of each aircraft. The company sells the Iris product family (Iris GVI, Iris dentCHECK, Iris CMX) as integrated drone-plus-software systems to airlines, MROs, military operators and OEMs, primarily under multi-year contracts that include deployment, training and support.
Product overview
Donecle's offering is a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on a family of 100% automated inspection drones branded as Iris, combined with a proprietary image analysis software suite and a secure cloud platform. The flagship core product is Iris GVI, an automated General Visual Inspection drone that captures high-resolution images of complete aircraft exteriors and is listed in both Airbus and Boeing AMMs with EASA and FAA approvals. Built around Iris GVI are two add-on drone modules — Iris dentCHECK (integrating 8tree's 3D structured light scanner for dent detection and measurement) and Iris CMX (a coating/paint inspection tool co-developed with AkzoNobel). Supporting these is Donecle's image analysis software and cloud platform for AI-driven defect detection, automated report generation, and digital aircraft history, with planned integration into MRO systems such as AMOS. The platform also powers AirScan, a branded military inspection service delivered with Dassault Aviation for Rafale fleet maintenance, and was extended via the 2022 acquisition of Dronétix into automated component inspection for engines and landing gear. Beyond aviation, Donecle applies the same drone, automation, and computer vision expertise to the Aerial Co-Worker hexacopter for powerline inspection and to the INEMAR offshore wind turbine inspection consortium.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Iris GVI: Automated drone solution for general visual inspection (GVI) of aircraft; performs full-aircraft inspections in less than 1 hour (and narrowbody inspections in less than 2 hours per more recent messaging); approved by Airbus AMM (A320 family lightning strike), Boeing AMM (737-800 zonal inspection), EASA, and FAA
- Iris dentCHECK
- Iris CMX
Products and services
- Iris GVI Fully automated drone (no pilot, no GPS, no beacons) using patented laser positioning technology to capture high-resolution images of the complete external aircraft surface. Combined with AI image analysis software and the Donecle cloud platform, Iris GVI produces automated inspection reports and a digital aircraft history; full narrowbody inspection in under 1–2 hours with a 25-minute drone flight, designed for airlines and MROs performing GVI, lightning strike inspections, paint quality checks, regulatory markings checks and end-of-lease checks.
- Iris dentCHECK Drone-based 3D scanning solution integrating 8tree's dentCHECK 3D structured-light scanner to automatically detect, characterize and measure dents, impacts and misalignments on aircraft exterior (metal and composite) surfaces. Validated on the Rafale fighter jet with 0.1mm depth accuracy and 2mm width accuracy, completing dent inspection of an entire Rafale in one hour, for military and commercial operators needing precise dent inspection.
- Iris CMX Drone-based tool co-developed with AkzoNobel that captures precise aircraft coating data and combines with existing drones to enhance paint maintenance efficiency, support predictive maintenance via AkzoNobel's Aerofleet Coatings Management service and reduce repainting program costs; designed for airlines and MROs needing to monitor and proactively manage aircraft paint and high-performance coatings.
- AirScan® military aircraft inspection service Branded inspection-as-a-service combining Donecle's autonomous drones and AI image analysis algorithms with Dassault Aviation's technical expertise and software, delivered under the DMAé MCO Ravel contract for the Rafale fleet of the French Air and Space Force and French Navy, including a world-first sea-based Rafale drone inspection capability on the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier; ~10 drone kits deployed across Rafale bases.
- Dronétix Component Inspection Solution Acquired from Dronétix Technologie in April 2022; autonomous mapping drone for industrial assets that performs automatic data capture and 3D reconstruction of small assets such as aircraft engines and landing gear without requiring a prior 3D model. Now integrated with Donecle's imaging technology and cloud connectivity; key prior customer Safran at Villaroche for aircraft engine inspections.
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduces aircraft inspection time by 10x — full narrowbody GVI in less than 1 hour versus 6 to 8 hours manually
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Donecle
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Donecle technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability8 records
Feature8 records
Donecle partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship — strategic co-developer and major shareholder, flagship strategic partner, flagship technology partner, core — acquired company, flagship distribution partner, flagship business aviation partner, flagship defense customer, core defense partner, core oem certification and minor.
- AkzoNobelflagship — strategic co-developer and major shareholderAkzoNobel (Netherlands) was one of two new aerospace investors in Donecle's €5.6M round (October 2023) and a co-developer of AkzoNobel's Aerofleet Coatings Management predictive maintenance service, which uses data collected by Donecle drones to monitor and proactively manage aircraft coatings. Donecle later developed the Iris CMX drone inspection tool for AkzoNobel to enhance aircraft paint maintenance.
- Dassault Aviationflagship strategic partnerStrategic co-development partner since 2018 for automated inspection of Dassault Rafale, Atlantique 2 and Falcon aircraft; co-developed the AirScan® service used under DMAé's MCO Ravel contract with ~10 drone kits deployed across French Air Force, French Navy bases and Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.
- 8treeflagship technology partnerTechnology partner integrating 8tree's dentCHECK 3D structured-light dent-mapping technology onboard Donecle's automated drone to create the flying dentCHECK / Iris dentCHECK product; joint Rafale dent inspection project with Dassault Aviation and the French Defence Innovation Agency.
- Dronétix Technologiecore — acquired companyAcquired by Donecle on April 20, 2022 to extend automated inspection capabilities to aircraft components (engines, landing gear). Dronétix's autonomous mapping drone technology and 3D reconstruction capability is now being upgraded with Donecle imaging and cloud connectivity, with image datasets and AI technologies merged.
- Barfield (AFI KLM E&M Americas)flagship distribution partnerBarfield, AFI KLM E&M's Americas subsidiary, has been the official distributor of Donecle drones in North, Central and South America for nearly three years; signed Donecle drone agreement with Viva Aerobus for A320 fleet inspections in November 2023.
- Jet Aviation (General Dynamics)flagship business aviation partnerJet Aviation has been a Donecle partner since launching non-regulated drone inspections for business aircraft in Basel in 2023. Swiss FOCA approved Jet Aviation for automated drone regulated inspections in May 2024, and the service was expanded to the US in May 2026 offering digitized exterior surface reports for pre-purchase, insurance or warranty cases.
- Direction de la Maintenance Aéronautique (DMAé) — French Ministry of Armed Forcesflagship defense customerDMAé is the contracting authority under the MCO Ravel contract awarded to Dassault Aviation for Rafale maintenance, which deploys Donecle drones via the AirScan® service. Since 2019, DMAé has worked with Donecle and Dassault to develop and validate the solution on Rafale, including navalised kits for use aboard the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.
- French Defense Innovation Agency (Agence de l'innovation de défense)core defense partnerSelected Donecle in 2019 for a 12-month contract to test automated drone inspection on military aircraft together with the French Air Force, DMAé, 8tree and Dassault. Work has continued under the Rafale standard F4 modernization program.
- Airbuscore oem certificationDonecle's drone is listed in Airbus AMM for Lightning Strike Inspections on A320 family; Iris GVI certified by Airbus and the FAA.
- Boeingcore oem certificationDonecle's Iris GVI was listed in Boeing AMM for 737-800 Zonal inspections (General Visual Inspections) in October 2024 — making Donecle the first drone company for automated aircraft inspection approved by both Airbus and Boeing.
- International Airlines Group (IAG) — Hangar 51 acceleratorminorDonecle was selected in October 2019 as one of 13 finalists (from 474 applicants) to join IAG's Hangar 51 accelerator under the 'Airport operations and logistics' theme, working with Iberia and Vueling in Madrid and Barcelona to test automated inspection.
- Starburst AcceleratorminorDonecle selected in October 2016 to join Starburst Accelerator (Paris), the #1 aerospace accelerator globally. Corporate partners include Air France Industries, Boeing, Lufthansa Technik, Thales and United.
- Aerospace Valley clusterminorDonecle joined Aerospace Valley, Europe's leading aerospace cluster with over 800 aerospace companies, SMEs and research labs, in January 2016 to foster collaborative projects and innovation in aeronautics, space and embedded systems.
- Robotics Place cluster
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Donecle competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- 8tree: 8tree's dentCHECK 3D structured-light scanner is integrated into Donecle's Iris dentCHECK product, making 8tree the closest technology peer in automated aircraft dent detection and measurement.
- Lufthansa Technik (AviationDrone): Lufthansa Technik has developed its own AviationDrone solution for automated aircraft inspection at MRO hangars, making it a direct competitor in the same drone-based GVI use case that Donecle targets at commercial airlines and MROs.
Emerging players
- Percepto: Percepto develops autonomous industrial inspection drones (e.g., for power plants, mining, utilities) with a comparable AI-driven image analysis and cloud platform approach, positioned to enter adjacent industrial inspection markets where Donecle also operates (e.g., wind, powerlines).
- Skydio: Skydio is a leader in autonomous drone flight (vision-based positioning without GPS) for industrial and public safety use, sharing Donecle's autonomy-first DNA and is a plausible competitor or partner for autonomous aircraft and industrial inspection applications.
- Microdrones: Microdrones builds professional surveying and inspection drones for industrial verticals (corridors, mining, infrastructure) with comparable integrated drone-plus-software positioning to Donecle's approach in aviation.
- Near Earth Autonomy: Near Earth Autonomy develops autonomous flight technology for helicopters and small UAS, including GPS-denied navigation and aerial robotics, which overlaps with Donecle's patented laser positioning and autonomous inspection platform.
- Aerodyne Group: Aerodyne is a global drone-based industrial inspection and asset management company (power lines, towers, infrastructure) with a vertically integrated drone + AI + managed service model analogous to Donecle's inspection-as-a-service approach in aviation.
Broad incumbents
- DJI: DJI is the dominant consumer and commercial drone manufacturer and supplies a large share of industrial inspection drones globally; it has the scale to enter or enable automated aircraft inspection if it pursues aviation certifications.
- Parrot: Parrot is a European drone manufacturer with professional and defense drone offerings (Anafi, eBee) and has the OEM relationships and capital to expand into automated aircraft inspection in Europe.
- GE Aviation (Avitas): GE Aviation's Avitas subsidiary provides predictive analytics and inspection services for the aviation industry, representing a broad incumbent offering data-driven aircraft health and inspection capabilities that overlap with Donecle's digital aircraft history vision.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Donecle social profiles
Digital presenceDonecle compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Donecle financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Donecle leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Donecle subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Donecle funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Donecle M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Donecle
What does Donecle do?
Donecle designs, assembles and operates fully automated drones (no pilot, no GPS) using patented laser positioning technology to perform external visual inspections of aircraft. The drones capture high-resolution images that are processed by proprietary AI image analysis algorithms to detect defects, with results stored on a secured cloud platform to build a digital history of each aircraft. The company sells the Iris product family (Iris GVI, Iris dentCHECK, Iris CMX) as integrated drone-plus-software systems to airlines, MROs, military operators and OEMs, primarily under multi-year contracts that include deployment, training and support.
Is Donecle a public or private company?
Donecle is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Donecle founded?
Donecle was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Donecle based?
Donecle is headquartered in Labège, France, in the Europe region.
How does Donecle make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Hardware sales (drone systems) is the primary driver. The others are software / cloud subscription, professional services and training and managed / inspection services (AirScan®).
Who are Donecle's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are 8tree and Lufthansa Technik (AviationDrone). Emerging players are Percepto, Skydio, Microdrones, Near Earth Autonomy and Aerodyne Group. Broad incumbents are DJI, Parrot and GE Aviation (Avitas).
Does Donecle have an API?
No public API is recorded for Donecle.
What industry is Donecle in?
Donecle's product category is Automated drone aircraft inspection systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABAIAA, Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) & Multirotor Drones. Its NAICS code is 334511 and its SIC code is 3812.