Mako lands $20M to put shark-skin film on the A320
What's the deal? Australian startup Mako, formerly MicroTau, has raised $20 million in Series A funding to commercialise Flightfilm, a drag-reduction coating for aircraft.
The film mimics shark skin, using engineered microriblets to smooth airflow over the fuselage and wings and cut friction drag.
Early tests on a US Air Force Lockheed MartinDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → C-130J cut fuel burn by 4%. Mako will roll it out first on the Airbus A320.
Virescent VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → led the round, with Zero Infinity PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Grok VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Skip CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, IP GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and TreeArc participating. British AirwaysDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and IberiaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → parent IAGDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → also contributed.
Why now? Mako has orders to equip around 100 A320s, with more in discussion. It plans a limited Australian trial in 2026 and a five-aircraft evaluation in 2027 once it secures supplemental type certification.
The cash funds certification, testing, and an engineering and production buildout at its Sydney base, plus installation teams near customers.
What could go wrong? The full 4% saving depends on coverage. The upcoming trial uses a smaller area, so it will not show the complete benefit.
Mako expects the film to last at least three years without a significant performance drop, but chief executive Henry Bilinsky says it needs more data to claim longer.
The company also declined to detail pricing, leaving the cost-benefit case for airlines unproven at scale.
The signal: The round draws in airline backers — IAGDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, whose budget arm Vueling has agreed to support European certification, alongside a prior testing deal with Delta Air LinesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → — signalling that carriers themselves want a stake in retrofit efficiency tech rather than just buying it. With Mako still at the early stage and the cost-benefit case unproven at scale, the involvement of strategic operators matters as much as the cash for getting Flightfilm certified and onto fleets.
Read more: Flight Global
Image credit: Alessandro Caproni
