Created in April 2024 with ULTIMETAS and strengthened by a CNRS/IETR partnership since February 2026, IUMAN-X is the subsidiary dedicated to the multidimensional exploitation of meta-surface antennas in drone systems. A rare scientific and industrial vision in Europe.
Meta-surface antennas are not merely a breakthrough radar technology, they open a much broader field of possibilities, encompassing detection, communications, measurement, and the management of a drone’s capabilities. It is to fully exploit this multidimensional potential that IUMAN-X was created in April 2024, in partnership with ULTIMETAS, the company specialising in the design of these next-generation antennas. IUMAN-X is both a technological competence centre and an industrial player with an operational vocation, whose mission is to transform the remarkable properties of meta-surfaces into concrete solutions for defence drone systems.
Since February 2026, this development has been supported by a structuring partnership with the CNRS laboratory of IETR (Institut d’Electronique et des Technologies du numerique) at INSA Rennes, one of France’s leading laboratories in antennas and radio-frequency systems. This partnership, which includes the funding and supervision of a doctoral thesis dedicated to the development of an onboard drone radar system based on meta-surface antennas, illustrates the approach we champion: R&D anchored in academic excellence, directly connected to industrial and operational challenges.
At a time when nations are investing heavily in next-generation drone technologies, IUMAN-X represents a unique strategic asset: the ability to master, integrate and exploit a breakthrough antenna technology, meta-surfaces, across all critical functions of a drone. This mastery, built at the intersection of fundamental research, industrial development and defence operational requirements, will sustainably position our group as an indispensable player in drone technology in Europe.
