--- title: 'Flight Test Engineer at Alta Ares' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/flight-test-engineer-alta-ares-toulouse-ss1dan4jtfkt' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-13' --- # Flight Test Engineer at Alta Ares - **Company:** Alta Ares - **Location:** Toulouse, France - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-10-06 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-13 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/alta-ares/567c1c2d-c83c-4bb1-aae8-bc630c932050 ## Job description ## About Alta Ares Alta Ares is an air defense Neoprime. We build AI-guided interceptors to counter drones and cruise missiles, along with the software platform that powers them. Our customers are NATO-aligned militaries and defense institutions, and our systems are regularly deployed during live exercises and operational demonstrations across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Founded in 2024, we have grown to 90 people, raised over $60M, and increased revenue 40× this year. We are now entering a new phase of international expansion, industrial scaling, fundraising, and product development. Flight Test Planning & Execution - Plan, prepare, and lead flight test campaigns for high-performance unmanned aerial systems, from early prototypes to mature configurations - Write test plans, test cards, risk assessments, and safety cases for each campaign - Act as test conductor on the range: run pre-flight checks, coordinate the test team, and make go/no-go decisions - Coordinate with range authorities, airspace regulators, and military test centres to secure test slots and approvals Data Acquisition & Analysis - Define instrumentation and requirements for each test objective - Process and analyse flight data to assess performance, stability, and system behaviour against requirements - Produce clear test reports, flag anomalies, and drive root-cause investigations with the engineering teams - Build tools and scripts to automate post-flight analysis and grow a structured test database Verification, Qualification & Safety - Build and maintain the test and evaluation strategy, tracing requirements to test evidence - Support qualification and acceptance campaigns with customers - Own flight safety processes, incident reporting, and lessons learned - Help define procedures for operating systems safely in live and operational environments Cross-functional Collaboration - Work closely with Avionics, Software, GNC, Mechanical, and Product teams to shape test objectives and feed results into design iterations - Support customer demonstrations and military exercises across Europe and beyond - Contribute to the training of operators and field teams ## Requirements Candidate profile - Degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering, or a related field - 2+ years of flight test experience on UAS, fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft, or guided munitions - Proven track record writing test plans and leading test campaigns in the field - Solid understanding of flight dynamics, flight control systems, and aircraft performance - Strong data analysis skills - Experience with telemetry, ground control stations, and onboard data logging ## Skills & Qualities - Calm, methodical, safety-first mindset under operational pressure - Strong organisational skills, able to coordinate multidisciplinary teams on the range - Hands-on and comfortable with field work, hardware troubleshooting, and outdoor conditions - Clear and concise written and verbal communication - High integrity, discretion, and understanding of security culture - Team spirit - Fluent English; French is a plus ## Nice to Have - Drone pilot certification - Experience at military test ranges or with DGA or equivalent national test centres - Experience with live-fire, weapons, or counter-UAS trials - Former military service, particularly in aviation, air defense, or UAS units - Familiarity with PX4/ArduPilot, flight log tools, and simulation or HITL environments - Willingness to travel frequently to test sites across Europe ## About Alta Ares ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Alta Ares builds an autonomous AI stack for next-generation air defense, ISTAR, and mission management, delivering counter-drone systems and edge intelligence to allied militaries. - **Entity Type**: Private (raised pre-seed and seed rounds; most recent €50M funding announced June 2026) - **Headquarters**: Paris, France (strategic offices in Toulouse, Kyiv, Abu Dhabi, New York, Athens, Munich, and London) - **Founded**: 2024 - **Founders**: Hadrien C. (CEO), Alain H. (Co-Founder), Stanislas W. (Co-Founder & COO) – per LinkedIn executive data ## Core Business - **Industry**: Defense and Space Manufacturing; AI-powered autonomous systems - **Target Customers**: Allied governments and armed forces (B2B/B2G) - **Mission**: “The next decade of allied security will be decided by who controls the autonomous systems above the battlefield. Alta Ares was founded to help ensure that the technologies shaping the future of defense are developed by allies, for allies, and fielded where they can make the greatest difference.” [altaares.com](https://www.altaares.com/) ## Products & Services - **Black Bird**: Short- to mid-range multirotor autonomous interceptor for counter-drone swarms, with AI terminal guidance under jamming. - **X-LOCK**: Mid- to long-range turbojet-powered fixed-wing effector for high-speed interception of drones and glide bombs; optional strike configuration. - **Cyclops**: Sensor intelligence, mission planning, and flight monitoring system for UAVs – connects radars, classifies tracks, predicts trajectories. - **Gamma ISTAR**: Real-time video intelligence on the edge for Intelligence Surveillance Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions. Includes Gamma Core (software deployable on any infrastructure) and Gamma Box (tactical rugged hardware node). Integrated with Gamma Ulixes MLOps platform for continuous model retraining. - **Pixel Lock**: Software system for detecting, tracking, and guiding interceptors toward moving aerial targets. Acts as visual aid for pilots and as automatic guidance in GNSS-denied environments. - **Mission Management Layer**: Unified platform combining air defense effectors, ISTAR products, and mission management software for autonomous operations. [altaares.com](https://www.altaares.com/) ## Market Standing - **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed - **Key Metric**: Total known funding ≈ €50M+ (includes a reported June 2026 round led by top-tier AI and defense investors) [altaares.com](https://www.altaares.com/); earlier pre-seed ($2.2M) and seed ($2.0M) rounds confirmed on LinkedIn [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/alta-ares) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Airbus Defence and Space (signed MoU to co-develop European counter-drone solutions, June 2026); Expansion Ventures (led pre-seed). Other investors not yet named publicly. - **Growth Signals**: - Completed live Arctic trials of Black Bird interceptor with Estonian Defence Forces (Feb 2026) - Expanding to Munich and London in 2026 - Rapid hiring: 19+ active job postings (LinkedIn), 12 listed on Built In - LinkedIn followers: 11,265 (+15.8% monthly growth) - Team: ~43 employees (LinkedIn) to 62 (Built In), with strong technical talent from defense and aerospace (Armée de Terre, Safran AI, Loft Orbital) [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/alta-ares) | [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/alta-ares) ## Competitive Advantages - **Sovereign European stack**: Entire AI and hardware chain developed by European allies, ensuring security and compliance for NATO and allied customers. - **GNSS-denied operations**: All systems designed to function under jamming and contested environments. - **Rapid field deployment**: Systems can be deployed by small teams in the field, reducing logistics footprint. - **Full-stack integration**: One platform combining effectors, ISR, and mission management with edge AI and continuous MLOps. ## Strategic Focus - Scale manufacturing and deployment of Black Bird, X-LOCK, and Gamma products to meet growing demand from allied nations. - Deepen integration partnership with Airbus Defence and Space for European counter-drone solutions. - Expand international presence (Munich, London offices in 2026) and grow sales in Baltic, Indo-Pacific, and Middle Eastern markets. - Continue investment in AI terminal guidance, sensor fusion, and sovereign MLOps (Gamma Ulixes). ## Why Work Here - **Mission-driven**: Directly contribute to European and allied defense autonomy in a critical domain. - **Cutting-edge tech**: Work on AI, computer vision, autonomous flight, edge computing, and defense-grade hardware. - **Rapid growth**: Company raised €50M in 2026, tripling headcount timeline; many open engineering and operations roles. - **Culture**: Described as a “deeptech startup” with a hybrid workspace (combination of remote and on-site); main offices in Paris and Toulouse, plus international hubs. - **Perks**: Not detailed publicly, but typical for defense tech includes competitive compensation, equity, and mission-critical work. Engineering culture emphasized in job postings. - **Ideal for**: Engineers (embedded, robotics, GNC, data, ML), test pilots, production managers, defense sales, compliance, and talent acquisition specialists. ## Sources 1. [altaares.com](https://www.altaares.com/) 2. [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/alta-ares) 3. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/alta-ares) 4. [jobs.workable.com](https://jobs.workable.com/company/dTjqj5nvsJLNhfSDY12XbG/jobs-at-alta-ares) 5. [thecompanycheck.com](https://www.thecompanycheck.com/company/b/alta-ares/l5u43z56vx1ldmfss) ## Other roles at Alta Ares - [Industrial Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/industrial-designer-alta-ares-paris-ff6ptwqxb779) — Paris, France - [Talent Acquisition Specialist (Hardware) H/F](https://feeny.ai/job/talent-acquisition-specialist-hardware-h-f-alta-ares-paris-bw0zraw94h7b) — Paris, France - [Talent Acquisition Specialist (GTM) H/F](https://feeny.ai/job/talent-acquisition-specialist-gtm-h-f-alta-ares-paris-bhxgythyrn4h) — Paris, France - [Administrateur Systèmes & Réseaux H/F](https://feeny.ai/job/administrateur-systemes-reseaux-h-f-alta-ares-paris-5b3er4m87er5) — Paris, France - [Pyrotechnic Engineer H/F](https://feeny.ai/job/pyrotechnic-engineer-h-f-alta-ares-paris-fq3aa627wfxr) — Paris, France - [Avionics Electronics Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/avionics-electronics-engineer-alta-ares-toulouse-684h5kq8by74) — Toulouse, France - [MCO Manager H/F](https://feeny.ai/job/mco-manager-h-f-alta-ares-toulouse-6m71cvx0sdgq) — Toulouse, France - [Business Development Representative — VIE Germany](https://feeny.ai/job/business-development-representative-vie-germany-alta-ares-munich-9y82690ehp52) — Munich, Germany - [Business Development Representative — VIE Canada](https://feeny.ai/job/business-development-representative-vie-canada-alta-ares-ottawa-mgjcwp7409n6) — Ottawa, Canada / Toronto, Canada - [Field Operations Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/field-operations-specialist-alta-ares-paris-mqjmzvm30hst) — Paris, France