PRECISION ENGINEERING · CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

From Concept to Flight-Ready Hardware

Integrated design, manufacturing and systems integration for aerospace and advanced industries. Tested on our own UAVs and our own jet engine.

“We build what we fly.  We fly what we build.”“We build what we fly.”“We fly what we build.”

DESIGNED · MACHINED · ASSEMBLED · TESTED — CAPE TOWN

IN-HOUSE DEMONSTRATOR

Propulsion System
Demonstrator

A fully in-house designed and manufactured gas turbine demonstrator, built at our Cape Town facility to validate engineering capability across precision machining, materials science and systems integration. Currently in controlled test phase.

WHAT WE DO

DROP IN JET TO TAKE OFF
DESIGN &ANALYSISCAD · FEA · Aero
COMPOSITESPrepreg · Wet Layup
CNCMACHININGFive-Axis · Anodising
TOOLING &MOULDSMould · Jig · Fixture
ELECTRONICS& PCBDesign · Manufacture
INTEGRATION& TESTConcept to Flight

WHO WE ARE

Built in the Field, Offered to Industry

JetLabs is the engineering services division of 3DTS, born out of more than a decade of designing, manufacturing and flying complex UAV systems for Nextech UAV Systems. JetLabs commercialises that hard-won capability as a service offering for external clients in aerospace, defence-adjacent and advanced manufacturing markets. Our capabilities span design and analysis, composite fabrication, precision CNC machining, mould and tooling, electronics and PCB manufacturing, anodising and systems integration.

"WE BUILT JETLABS BECAUSE WE NEEDED IT OURSELVES."

VISION

Africa's Most Trusted
Engineering Partner

To be Africa's most trusted engineering partner for taking complex hardware from concept to flight. Proven & tested on our own machines first.

MISSION

Integrated Design,
Manufacturing & Systems

JetLabs delivers integrated design, manufacturing and systems-integration services for dual-use aerospace and advanced industries, combining the speed of a small team with the discipline of a flight-hardware culture. We take on our clients' hardest engineering problems with the same standards we apply to hardware that has to fly.

3DTS — PARENT GROUP  →  JETLABS — ENGINEERING SERVICES  →  NEXTECH UAV SYSTEMS + EXTERNAL CLIENTS

◆FLIGHT-HARDWARE DISCIPLINE
◆PROOF OVER PROMISES
◆SPEED WITH RIGOUR
◆INTEGRATION
◆RESPONSIBLE DUAL-USE

WHAT WE DO

Capabilities &
Services

3,000m² facility in Cape Town. Full in-house capability across design & analysis, machining, composites, electronics, tooling, and systems integration.

JET THERE →

DESIGN & ANALYSIS

CAD, FEA & Aerodynamics

Full design cycle support: requirements capture, 3D CAD, ANSYS FEA, composite layup optimisation and design-for-manufacture review.

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COMPOSITE FABRICATION

Prepreg, Wet Layup & Infusion

Carbon fibre moulding and structural layup: prepreg, wet layup and infusion, cured in our in-house autoclave.

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CNC MACHINING

Five-Axis Milling & Turning

Complex aerospace components machined to tight tolerances: aluminium, titanium, stainless and engineered plastics. Anodising in-house.

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TOOLING

Mould & Jig Design & Manufacture

In-house mould and jig design and manufacture for composite production runs, cowlings, and prototype parts.

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ELECTRONICS

PCB Design & Manufacture

In-house PCB design and manufacturing for avionics, power distribution, and embedded systems.

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SYSTEMS INTEGRATION

Design to Delivery

Full programme delivery: concept, design, manufacture, assembly, integration and test. The same team builds it all.

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HOW WE BUILD

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Design & CAD
ANSYS FEA Analysis
Aerodynamic Analysis
Prepreg, Wet Layup & Infusion
Carbon Fibre Moulding & High-Temp Tooling
Five-Axis CNC Milling
Precision Turning
Anodising
Mould & Jig Manufacture
PCB Design & Manufacture
Systems & Avionics Integration
Assembly · Test · Flight Support

SELECTED PROJECTS

Portfolio

Gas Turbine Demonstrator
⊕
PROPULSION · SYSTEMS INTEGRATION

Gas Turbine Demonstrator

Fully in-house designed and manufactured gas turbine. Precision machined rotating components, custom fabrication, and full systems integration. Controlled test programme currently underway.

Atlas VE — Electric VTOL
⊕
UAV · FIXED WING VTOL

Atlas VE — Electric VTOL

35kg MTOW electric VTOL fixed-wing. In-house PCB and power distribution design. Full avionics integration, ground station, and long-range comms package.

Atlas VF — Hybrid VTOL
⊕
UAV · FIXED WING VTOL

Atlas VF — Hybrid VTOL

65kg hybrid fuel-electric VTOL. 4.8m wingspan. 8–10hr endurance target. Extended-range comms, CG-managed fuel system, and full systems build.

Rogue — Hybrid Heavy Lift VTOL
UAV · FIXED WING VTOL · HEAVY LIFT

Rogue — Hybrid Heavy Lift VTOL

In-house composite airframe for the Rogue heavy-lift VTOL. Carbon fibre moulding, mould design, structural layup, and integration-ready subassemblies.

Atlas T
⊕
UAV · QUADCOPTER

Atlas T

Tactical quadcopter and flagship multi-rotor platform. In-house design, composite manufacture, and full systems integration.

Swallow
⊕
UAV · FIXED WING

Swallow

Long-endurance fixed-wing UAV optimized for ISR operations. Lightweight high-density EPO construction with extended range communications.

Tube Plane — Electric VTOL
⊕
UAV · FIXED WING VTOL

Tube Plane — Electric VTOL

Compact VTOL fixed-wing UAV. Precision-machined airframe components and in-house avionics integration.

Gryphon — Electric VTOL
⊕
UAV · FIXED WING VTOL

Gryphon — Electric VTOL

Electric Ducted Fan (EDF) VTOL platform. Composite frame construction with in-house power electronics and flight controller integration.

Long Range Antenna Tracker
⊕
TRACKING · SYSTEMS

Long Range Antenna Tracker

In-house designed and manufactured long-range antenna tracking system for extended UAV communications and telemetry.

VanGuard
UAV · QUADCOPTER

VanGuard

Compact quad platform with in-house carbon fibre frame, PCB power distribution, and integrated payload bay.

HOW A PROJECT RUNS

Your Flight Plan

01

TAXI

Enquire

02

CLEARANCE

NDA

03

PRE-FLIGHT

Scope Questions

04

CREW BRIEFING

Intro Meeting

05

FLIGHT PLAN

Proposal

06

CLEARED

Acceptance

07

WHEELS UP

Work Starts

Response in 1 business day.  Quote within 5.

WALK THE FLIGHT PLAN →

Build-to-Spec.  Build-to-Print.  Built to Perform.

Whether you need a single prototype or a scalable production run, we deliver engineering precision at every stage — from initial concept through to flight-ready hardware.

START A PROJECT

Work With Us

We work with partners on projects of unique scope and ambition — from initial concept and prototype development through to scalable production programmes. If your project demands precision, we want to hear from you.