CYPRES

What CYPRES does

CYPRES, legally Airtec GmbH & Co.KG Safety Systems, is a German manufacturer of Automatic Activation Devices (AADs) for the skydiving industry, founded in 1991 by Helmut Cloth in Bad Wünnenberg, Germany. The company's core product is an electronic altimeter-based safety system that monitors altitude and descent speed during a skydive and automatically severs the reserve parachute closing loop via a pyrotechnic cutter when preset parameters indicate the main parachute has not deployed correctly, triggering reserve deployment without manual intervention. The current generation CYPRES 2 platform is offered in discipline-specific variants — Student, Tandem, Expert, C-Mode (switchable), Speed, and Wingsuit — each tuned to the activation parameters of a particular jumping style, alongside a Military CYPRES line and a Custom Solutions division that has delivered bespoke units for projects including the Red Bull Stratos space jump, Solar Impulse, and Virgin Galactic SpaceShip 2.

The company operates a vertical integration model with in-house research, development, production, and quality control at its German facility, and it markets its products on a 'reliability made in Germany' basis. CYPRES sells exclusively through a global authorized dealer network and supplements this channel with direct community engagement via the CYPRES Road Tour (visiting dropzones, boogies, competitions, and skills camps across Europe, Australia, North America, and Latin America), a sponsored athlete program, and a save-stories platform that documents the more than 5,400 lives saved by CYPRES devices to date. Revenue derives from one-time AAD unit sales at approximately $1,200 USD per device, recurring 4-year factory maintenance sessions at roughly $200 each over a 12-year service life, replacement cutters and filters, Trade-In upgrades, and Loaner units provided during customer maintenance. The product has only undergone two price increases in over 30 years, and unit economics work out to roughly $0.14 per jump inclusive of maintenance, a price point the company has defended as part of its accessibility mandate for the sport.

The customer base is overwhelmingly a long tail of individual sport, tandem, and student skydivers worldwide, with secondary enterprise and government engagements through the Custom Solutions and Military lines. CYPRES does not disclose revenue and has taken no external venture or private equity funding, consistent with a self-sustaining, founder-influenced Mittelstand manufacturer operating in a niche but globally distributed safety-equipment category.

Name

CYPRES

Legal name

Airtec GmbH & Co.KG Safety Systems

Website

https://cypres.aero

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CYPRES (Airtec GmbH & Co.KG Safety Systems) designs and manufactures Automatic Activation Devices (AADs) for sport, tandem, military, and aerospace skydiving applications, selling globally through authorized dealers from its German headquarters with recurring factory maintenance revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Skydiving Safety Equipment

NAICS

Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)

SIC

Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, Nec (3728)

akta.pro primary industry

Autonomous Flight Control & Guidance Systems (UAS/Urban Air Mobility) (IMABAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Military Avionics, Mission Computers & Flight Controls (IMABAMAE), Flight Control Computers & Autopilot Systems (IMABAFAA)

Keywords

• Automatic activation devices
• Skydiving safety equipment
• Parachute reserve systems
• AAD technology
• Aviation safety devices

Headquarters

HQ city

Bad Homburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. AAD Hardware Sales: Primary revenue from sale of CYPRES and CYPRES 2 Automatic Activation Devices. Units are sold through global dealer network. Different models for various skydiving disciplines (Student, Tandem, Expert, Speed, Wingsuit, Military, C-Mode).
2. Spare Parts and Components: Replacement cutters, filters, and other CYPRES components sold to customers. Only original spare parts ensure reliable CYPRES safety. Components limited to CYPRES application only per terms and conditions.
3. Maintenance Services: Scheduled maintenance program every 4 years performed by factory-trained personnel using same equipment and procedures as original production. Maintains reliability standards and allows for updates and adjustments to field units.
4. Trade-In and Model Conversion: Trade-in programs and model conversion services allowing customers to upgrade or modify their CYPRES units for different skydiving applications.
5. Loan Program: CYPRES loan program provides temporary replacement units while customer units are undergoing maintenance, ensuring continuous protection for skydivers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CYPRES manufactures Automatic Activation Devices (AADs) — electronic altimeter-based safety devices installed in parachute rigs that automatically cut the reserve closing loop and deploy the reserve parachute when preset altitude and descent-speed parameters are met. The product line spans the CYPRES 2 platform with variants for sport, student, tandem, expert, wingsuit, speed, changeable-mode (C-Mode), and military skydiving, complemented by spare parts, accessories, custom aerospace/military solutions, scheduled factory maintenance, trade-in programs, and a supporting mobile app.

Product overview

CYPRES is a manufacturer of Automatic Activation Devices (AADs) for skydiving, produced by Airtec GmbH & Co.KG Safety Systems in Germany. The product portfolio centers on the CYPRES 2 platform with specialized variants including Wingsuit, C-Mode (Changeable), Expert, Speed, Student, and Tandem configurations, plus Military-grade units. The company also offers a Custom Solutions division for bespoke aviation and aerospace applications (including Red Bull Stratos, Solar Impulse, and Space Ship 2 projects), spare parts (Cutters and Filters), accessories (Filter Changers, Closing Loops, Packers Kits, and related maintenance tools), and supporting services including factory maintenance (every 4 years), Trade-In programs, loaner units, and a mobile application. All CYPRES devices share a 12-year service life and feature in-house manufactured components with German engineering standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wingsuit CYPRES 2: AAD specifically designed for wingsuit flying with activation parameters suited to the unique flight characteristics of wingsuits.
• C-Mode CYPRES 2
• Expert CYPRES 2
• Speed CYPRES 2
• Student CYPRES 2
• Tandem CYPRES 2
• Military CYPRES

Products and services

• Expert CYPRES 2 Automatic Activation Device configured for experienced and expert skydivers with advanced settings and parameters suited to high-volume sport skydiving.
• C-Mode CYPRES 2 Changeable-Mode Automatic Activation Device that allows users to switch between different activation modes to accommodate different skydiving disciplines and preferences on a single unit.
• Speed CYPRES 2 Automatic Activation Device designed for high-speed skydiving disciplines, with activation parameters tuned for faster descent rates.
• Wingsuit CYPRES 2 Automatic Activation Device designed specifically for wingsuit flying, providing safety activation at appropriate altitudes for wingsuit operations.
• Student CYPRES 2 Automatic Activation Device configured for student skydivers with appropriate activation parameters for beginner training jumps.
• Tandem CYPRES 2 Automatic Activation Device designed for tandem skydiving operations, with parameters suited for two-person jumps where two lives depend on the equipment.
• Military CYPRES Automatic Activation Device for military parachute operations including specialized activation parameters for military parachuting and smoke jumper operations, available through a dedicated military portal.
• CYPRES Cutter Replacement single-use pyrotechnic cutter component for CYPRES 2 units — the explosive cutting device that severs the reserve closing loop during activation. Replaced after each save.
• CYPRES Filter Replacement filter component for CYPRES 2 units, typically needed after water landings or as part of regular maintenance.
• Custom Solutions Bespoke CYPRES configurations and custom AAD solutions for specialized aviation projects, extreme sports applications, and unique operational requirements including space programs, record attempts, and specialized military operations (e.g., Red Bull Stratos, Solar Impulse, Space Ship Two).
• CYPRES Maintenance Service Scheduled factory maintenance program for CYPRES units performed by factory-trained personnel using the same equipment and procedures as original production, conducted every 4 years throughout the unit's 12-year service life.
• Trade In Program Program allowing customers to trade in existing CYPRES devices toward newer models or different CYPRES 2 variants.
• Loan a CYPRES Temporary CYPRES loaner service providing replacement units to customers while their own units undergo maintenance, ensuring continuous protection for skydivers.
• CYPRES App Mobile application allowing users to scan QR codes on CYPRES test certificates to access device information and management on their mobile devices.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,400+ lives saved across 35+ years of operation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FXC Corporation (Para-Safe AAD): FXC produces the Para-Safe AAD, another microprocessor-based automatic activation device for skydivers, directly competing with CYPRES 2 across the same skydiving disciplines and customer segments.
• Larsen & Brusgaard (L&B Solo AAD): L&B has historically produced the Solo AAD and is a well-known skydiving safety equipment maker (altimeters, AADs). It competes with CYPRES in the same safety-critical AAD category serving the same skydiving community.
• United Parachute Technologies (UPT): UPT is a major manufacturer of parachute systems and skydiving equipment, often sold alongside AADs as a complete rig package. It is a relevant peer because it shares the same sport-skydiving channel and customer base that CYPRES serves.
• Strong Enterprises: Strong Enterprises is a long-established U.S. parachute systems and skydiving equipment manufacturer supplying the same sport, tandem, and military dropzone customers that CYPRES serves, making it a relevant adjacent peer in skydiving safety.
• Vigil AAD: Vigil is the principal direct competitor to CYPRES, also manufacturing automatic activation devices for skydiving. Both companies sell through a global dealer network to sport, tandem, and military skydivers with similar unit pricing and maintenance cycle models.
• Sun Path Products: Sun Path Products is a major parachute harness/container systems manufacturer serving the same skydiving channel and customer base as CYPRES. It is a relevant peer because rigs and AADs are typically sold and installed together.
• Performance Designs: Performance Designs is one of the largest canopy (parachute) manufacturers in the sport skydiving market, operating in the same channel and customer base as CYPRES and often co-sold with AADs as part of a complete skydiving system.

Broad incumbents

• AeroVironment: AeroVironment manufactures small UAS and related avionics/safety systems. It is a relevant broad incumbent because it sits in the same aerospace safety and unmanned-aircraft technology space that CYPRES' military and aerospace custom solutions address.
• Aviall (Airborne / HEICO): Aviall/HEICO is a broad aerospace parts distributor and MRO supplier. While not a direct competitor, it is a comparable broad incumbent operating in the same aerospace component and safety equipment distribution ecosystem that CYPRES reaches through its dealer network.

Emerging players

• BRS Aerospace: BRS Aerospace makes whole-aircraft ballistic parachute recovery systems for light aircraft and UAS, addressing a related aviation safety-sensing problem. It is comparable to CYPRES as a developer of mission-critical automatic safety activation systems for aviation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CYPRESAAD
• Facebookfacebook.com/CYPRES.AAD
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cypresaad

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CYPRES