When Facebook (now Meta) set out to create Aquila, a solar-powered drone larger than a Boeing 737, they needed exceptional engineering talent to tackle one of the project’s most critical components: the aircraft’s power system. They found that expertise in Graham Johnson, now Rufilla’s Senior Hardware Engineer.

Engineering at Scale: The Aquila Drone Project

The Aquila drone represented a remarkable feat of engineering. Designed to provide internet connectivity to remote areas, this enormous aircraft required innovative solutions for power management, system integration, and flight control. Graham’s contribution was fundamental – he designed the complete Aircraft Power System, creating a comprehensive framework that would keep this massive solar-powered drone operational during its ambitious missions.

The successful first flight of Aquila demonstrated not just the viability of the concept, but the exceptional quality of its engineering. While we can’t share the detailed documentation (it remains Meta’s intellectual property), the project exemplifies the level of complexity and innovation that Graham brings to Rufilla’s hardware engineering team.

From Mega-Projects to Smart Products

Graham’s experience with Aquila translates directly to his work at Rufilla, where he applies the same rigorous approach to system-level requirements and high-level designs across our projects. Whether it’s developing smart energy monitors, telecare devices, or industrial control systems, his expertise ensures our hardware solutions are robust, efficient, and perfectly integrated with our software platforms.

Comprehensive System Design at Rufilla

Graham’s capabilities reflect Rufilla’s broader approach to complex system design. We offer:

The Power of End-to-End Development

What makes Rufilla unique is our ability to handle every aspect of smart product development. With experts like Graham working alongside our software engineers and manufacturing partners, we can:

Looking Forward

Projects like Aquila push the boundaries of what’s possible in engineering. At Rufilla, we bring that same spirit of innovation to every project, whether it’s developing next-generation smart energy solutions or creating secure IoT platforms for industry leaders.

Graham’s experience with complex systems like Aquila’s power management continues to inform our approach to product development. It demonstrates our capability to tackle challenging engineering problems while maintaining our commitment to transparency, knowledge sharing, and long-term client success.

Ready to bring your complex product idea to life? Let’s start a conversation about how our team’s expertise can help turn your vision into reality.

Note: The Aquila drone project was completed prior to Graham joining Rufilla. The YouTube video of its first flight is publicly available and demonstrates the scale and complexity of the engineering involved.