January 2026 | Åtvidaberg, Sweden

As part of the IAS Business Academy programme, we visited ACC Innovation's Industrial Business Residence (IBR) facility in Åtvidaberg, Sweden. The experience offered valuable insights into a different segment of the drone industry — industrial-scale heavy-lift platforms.

The Thunder Wasp GT

ACC Innovation's flagship product is the Thunder Wasp GT, a turboshaft-powered quadcopter that ranks among the world's largest:

• Maximum takeoff weight: 800+ kg
• Payload capacity: 0–400 kg
• Empty weight: 350 kg
• Fuel capacity: 280 kg (Jet A1)
• Cruising speed: 70–90 km/h
• Dimensions: 5.5 × 5.5 m

Seeing the Thunder Wasp in person puts the engineering into perspective. This is a platform designed for firefighting, offshore cargo delivery, wind turbine maintenance, and defense applications — scenarios where payload capacity and endurance matter more than agility.

The IBR Model: Collaborative Manufacturing

What makes ACC Innovation's approach unique is the IBR (Industrial Business Residence) concept. Multiple specialized companies operate under one roof in Åtvidaberg, sharing manufacturing capabilities, testing facilities, and expertise.

The same facility houses:

• ACC Innovation — heavy-lift aerial drones
• Ocean Modules Sweden — modular underwater ROVs
• Shared control systems and software development

We witnessed a live demonstration of an Ocean Modules ROV in their in-house test pool. The same group building 800 kg flying platforms also builds underwater systems deployed in 18+ countries. The synergy between air and sea autonomous systems is clear.

Investment and Growth

In December 2025, ACC Innovation announced a directed share issue of 239 million SEK, with 125 million SEK coming from TomEnterprise AB (founded by Thomas von Koch, co-founder of EQT). The investment values ACC Innovation as what Swedish media called "a hidden diamond in Swedish industry."

The funding will accelerate production capacity and international expansion — with partnerships already in place with Patria (Finland) for defense applications and involvement in the UK MoD Heavy Lift Challenge.

Relevance for GPO

Our work at GPO focuses on a different scale — lightweight edge AI modules for FPV drones — but the core challenges overlap:

• Autonomous operation in contested environments
• Reliability under real-world conditions
• Integration with existing platforms

Visiting ACC Innovation reinforced the strength of the Nordic-Baltic drone ecosystem. Different companies, different applications, but shared commitment to pushing autonomous systems forward.

The IAS Business Academy continues to provide valuable opportunities for cross-border networking and learning. Next stop: Finland in February.

GPO OÜ develops edge AI autohoming systems for FPV drones. Learn more at drones.gpo-tech.com