ETHZilla Unveils Token Backed by Leased Jet Engines

The engines are leased to a US air carrier under agreements running through 2028. The company is targeting an 11% return for investors who hold the token for the full lease term, with a minimum purchase of 10 tokens. 

ETHZilla Debuts Engine Backed Token

Crypto treasury firm ETHZilla unveiled a new tokenized investment product backed by commercial aviation assets. This is a big shift away from a pure Ethereum accumulation strategy toward real-world asset tokenization.

The company announced that it has launched the Eurus Aero Token I through its newly formed subsidiary, ETHZilla Aerospace. The token is backed by two commercial jet engines that ETHZilla acquired last month for a combined $12.2 million. According to the company, the engines are currently leased to what it described as a leading US air carrier, generating contracted cash flows through lease agreements that run until 2028.

Each Eurus Aero Token I is priced at $100, with a minimum purchase requirement of 10 tokens. ETHZilla is targeting an 11% return for investors who hold the token for the full lease term. The structure effectively allows investors to get fractional exposure to income-generating aviation infrastructure, which is an asset class that is traditionally limited to institutional credit funds and private equity firms.

Chairman and CEO McAndrew Rudisill said the initiative is designed to broaden access to markets that have historically been difficult for retail or smaller investors to enter. He described the token as a practical example of applying blockchain infrastructure to aviation assets with predictable cash flows and global investor demand. By placing jet engine ownership on-chain, ETHZilla plans to modernize fractional ownership and expand participation in asset-backed investment opportunities.

The move is part of a strategic shift for the company. ETHZilla was previously known as 180 Life Sciences Corp, a clinical-stage biotech firm, before pivoting into the crypto sector. In July, it joined a wave of so-called crypto treasury companies that focused on acquiring and holding digital assets, particularly ETH. However, Rudisill indicated late last year that the firm intended to evolve beyond simply holding ETH and instead build a business centered on bringing real-world assets onto blockchain rails through tokenization.

ETH’s price action over the past year (Source: CoinCodex)

ETHZilla funded its jet engine purchase in part by selling a portion of its Ethereum holdings. The company now plans to expand its tokenization efforts beyond aviation assets, with future offerings potentially tied to asset classes like home and car loans, according to its announcement.