Investing in New Generation Airships: Opportunities for Investors from Vietnam

Investing in New Generation Airships: Opportunities for Investors from Vietnam

The New Generation Airships project has entered funding stage 4: AERONOVA has completed the NOVA-2 envelope, begun testing it at the airfield in Kirzhach, and continues to raise funds through collective investment on the SOLARGROUP platform. The project offers investors from Vietnam special entry terms. Below, we examine what has been confirmed, what remains planned, and how participation works from a technical and legal perspective.

About the New Generation Airships Project

New Generation Airships is a project to develop, manufacture, and commercially operate a new type of airship. Development and production are being handled by AERONOVA, a company established specifically for the project. SOLARGROUP serves as the IT platform facilitating investment and is a co-founder of AERONOVA; collective financing, payment processing, and the transaction's legal framework are organized through personal accounts on the platform.

As of September 2, 2026, the project had entered funding stage 4. Stage 3, which had just concluded, raised $5,000,000; total funding for the project had exceeded $15,500,000 by that point, with support from more than 14,200 people worldwide. A separate snapshot as of June 18, 2026, recorded $14,230,834 in confirmed funds raised. The project's ultimate funding target is $100 million.

Current practical work is focused on the NOVA-2E, the unmanned, fully electric cargo version of the airship that the team is now assembling. Project materials specify a volume of 2,000 m³, a length of 44 m, a height of more than 11 m, and a payload of 500–600 kg. For the future piloted passenger version, the NOVA-2—with a stated capacity of one pilot and five passengers and a gasoline propulsion system—two ULPower gasoline helicopter engines and a repair kit for one of them have already been purchased and delivered.

How the Project Has Developed

The project materials describe the license as covering the development of aeronautical equipment. Broader claims that the same license covers production and operation are not independently corroborated by publicly available data as of the article's preparation, so we use the narrower, confirmed wording here.

AERONOVA: Team and Production Sites

AERONOVA's Chief Designer is Vadim Zubkevich, and its Chief Microturbine Designer is Andrey Kostyukov. Specialists from the Moscow Aviation Institute, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, and the Dolgoprudny Design Bureau have also contributed to the project.

The company operates at several sites: its office and design bureau are in Moscow, near the Voykovskaya metro station; envelope production is based in an approximately 800 m² workshop in Lyubertsy; and its assembly site is a rented hangar at Kirzhach airfield in the Vladimir Region. AERONOVA rents the left half of the hangar, which was originally built for two AU-30 airships. Preparations are underway there to assemble the NOVA-2, fill the envelope with gas, and conduct ground tests.

One point is worth clarifying: the available data confirms that the site in Kirzhach is leased, but not that the company purchased the airfield. This distinction should be kept in mind if other sources claim otherwise.

Technology: The NOVA Aircraft Range

The NOVA-01 is already being used to test control systems and can be used for aerial photography, advertising, monitoring, area surveillance, scientific missions, and special-purpose operations. The next announced tests for the NOVA-2 envelope will assess gas permeability and ballonnet operation. Work is continuing in parallel on the tail assembly, gondola, metal structures, onboard electronics, battery systems, and control system.

A separate area of development is a 300 kW microturbine that could be upgraded to 450 kW. The compressor section has already undergone physical testing, the combustion chamber has been designed, and the heat exchanger remains one of the current engineering challenges.

The plans for the NOVA-8 and NOVA-35/60, as well as the timing of the first piloted NOVA-2 flight, are targets announced by the team rather than confirmed facts. When making an investment decision, it is important to clearly distinguish between what has already been completed and tested and what still remains a plan.

How Investing Through SOLARGROUP Works

SOLARGROUP organizes project funding through collective investment: participants purchase investment shares on the platform rather than shares in AERONOVA directly. Once funding is complete and AERONOVA has been converted into a joint-stock company, 1 billion shares are planned to be issued: 490 million are intended for investors, while the controlling stake of 510 million shares is expected to remain with the company. Under the proposed model, 100 investment shares would be exchanged for one company share.

AERONOVA's target valuation is at least $1 billion. This target and the proposed issuance structure imply an estimated value of approximately $1 per company share and $0.01 per investment share. These are calculated benchmarks, not current market prices: they depend on the company's future financial performance and market valuation, neither of which exists yet.

The number of investment shares included in a package with the same face value decreases as the project moves to a new funding stage. As of August 27, 2026, the platform gave the following example: a $1,000 package paid in installments over 10 months included 283,000 investment shares at stage 3 and was set to include 256,000 investment shares at stage 4 after the transition on September 2. As shown above, that transition had already taken place by early September:

There is no provision for an automatic or immediate refund of funds used to purchase investment packages and investment shares. Contract termination requests and individual cases are handled by SOLARGROUP support. Once funding is complete and the procedures specified in the contract have been carried out, further transactions involving the investment shares or company shares may become possible, including their potential sale and the transfer of the proceeds to the investor under the established procedure. This, however, is a later stage, not something available immediately after paying for a package.

Legal Considerations for Investors from Vietnam

SOLARGROUP is an international platform that is not registered in Vietnam. A Vietnamese citizen's participation in the AERONOVA project constitutes an investment of personal funds in a foreign crowdinvesting project, not the purchase of a product registered in the Vietnamese jurisdiction. Since April 2026, foreign investment by Vietnamese citizens has been governed by the new Law on Investment No. 143/2025/QH15 and Decree 103/2026/ND-CP. However, publicly available sources do not set out an unambiguous regulatory route for portfolio, or “indirect,” investments—and the structure of a SOLARGROUP investment share is closer to this type of investment. Small amounts, including the special packages discussed below, formally reduce the likelihood of triggering mandatory project registration procedures, but do not eliminate the general obligation to comply with State Bank of Vietnam foreign exchange controls when transferring funds or to declare income from foreign investments as part of worldwide income for Vietnamese tax residents.

We provided a detailed analysis of this issue—including specific rules, thresholds, and practical recommendations—in a separate article on how Vietnamese investors can legally invest in foreign technology projects in general. Before transferring an amount that is significant to you, it is worth reading that article and, if the amount or frequency of your investments is substantial, consulting a Vietnamese lawyer or tax adviser.

Special Terms for Investors from Vietnam

Vietnamese citizens are offered special participation terms in two SOLARGROUP projects—New Generation Airships and Duyunov's Motors:

• Special packages with face values of $100 and $250—below the standard minimum for the platform's general package range—have been available indefinitely since February 9, 2026.
• A 10% investment discount—its validity was tied to the end of stage 3 of the airship project. Since stage 3 ended on September 1, 2026, and the project has already moved to stage 4, the discount's current availability should be checked in your personal account rather than assumed to have been automatically extended.
• A monthly ranking of SOLARGROUP partners in Vietnam, with a cash bonus for the top 10 participants—the specific bonus amounts and terms should be checked through the platform's official Vietnamese-language resources.

SOLARGROUP has its own infrastructure in Vietnam: its first office opened in spring 2020, and a second opened in Vinh Phuc in 2022. The platform also has official Vietnamese-language pages on Facebook and YouTube, as well as a ZALO chat. These channels provide project news, information about package terms, and a place to ask questions before making a decision.

The current terms for Vietnam's special packages, the latest status of stage 4, and the registration process are easiest to review directly in your personal account on the platform: SOLARGROUP — register and select a project.

Risks and What to Understand Before Investing

• Venture risk. As with any project in the development stage, the outcome is not guaranteed. Some of the stated technical and commercial objectives—assembling the NOVA-2 into a complete aircraft, certification, mass production, and first sales—remain plans rather than accomplished facts.
• No automatic refunds. Paid investment packages and investment shares are not considered an available account balance. No automatic early refund is provided, and contract termination requests are considered individually.
• Estimated rather than market-based valuation. The company's target valuation and the estimated value of an investment share are model-based figures that may change depending on the project's actual results.
• The difference between “completed” and “planned.” Project materials should clearly distinguish what has already been confirmed—for example, the completed and strength-tested NOVA-2 envelope—from what remains an announced timeline or plan, such as the start of NOVA-8 production in 2027 or the date of the first piloted NOVA-2 flight.
• The investor's legal and tax responsibility. As with an investment through any other foreign platform, ensuring that the transaction complies with Vietnam's foreign exchange and tax rules is the investor's responsibility, not the platform's.

Frequently Asked Questions

What stage is the project currently at?

The New Generation Airships project has been at funding stage 4 since September 2, 2026. Stage 3, which has now concluded, raised $5 million, and total funding for the project exceeded $15.5 million.

What has actually been completed, and what has only been announced as a plan?

Confirmed: the NOVA-2 envelope has been manufactured and completed its first cycle of strength testing; the NOVA-01 has been assembled and is undergoing flight tests; and a Ministry of Industry and Trade license to develop aeronautical equipment has been obtained. Still planned: assembling the NOVA-2 into a complete aircraft, further envelope tests for gas permeability and ballonnet operation, the first flight of the piloted version, the start of NOVA-8 production in 2027, and mass production of models in the NOVA range.

What is the minimum amount for an investor from Vietnam?

Since February 9, 2026, special packages with face values of $100 and $250 have been available to Vietnamese citizens indefinitely, below the standard minimum for the platform's general package range.

Can I get my money back after paying for a package?

There is no provision for an automatic or immediate refund of funds used to purchase a package or investment shares. Contract termination requests are handled individually by SOLARGROUP support.

Is it legal for a Vietnamese citizen to participate in a project like this?

The provided data contains no direct prohibition, but there is no simple, universal “yes” either. Since April 2026, foreign investment by Vietnamese citizens has been governed by the new Law on Investment and Decree 103/2026/ND-CP, while publicly available sources do not establish an unambiguous regulatory route for portfolio investments such as SOLARGROUP investment shares. A detailed analysis is available in a separate article on investing legally from Vietnam in foreign technology projects. If you are considering a significant amount, you should consult a local lawyer or tax specialist.

Conclusion

By September 2026, the New Generation Airships project had progressed from a design bureau and the first unmanned NOVA-01 aircraft to a completed, strength-tested NOVA-2 envelope—and had entered funding stage 4. Investors from Vietnam are offered special entry terms, including packages starting at $100, local infrastructure, and Vietnamese-language support channels. At the same time, the key commercial outcomes—assembling the NOVA-2 into a complete aircraft, certification, mass production, and a market value for the shares—remain future stages of implementation rather than accomplished facts. This is worth keeping in mind alongside the appeal of the project itself.

The project's current status, special packages for Vietnam, and materials from the NOVA-2 tests are available directly on the platform; registration entails no obligation: SOLARGROUP — explore the project.