The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded £3.16m ($4.23m) in contracts to three British small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop and trial new low-cost interceptors.
The contracts are part of a five‑nation European effort to counter large‑scale drone and missile threats, with UK being the first nation to make such awards.
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Companies selected for this funding Frankenberg Technologies, Greenjets, and Cambridge Aerospace, will each work on designs to tackle drone threats that have become increasingly prevalent in modern conflict zones.
Each of the three SMEs has a UK presence and has committed to enhancing local manufacturing capabilities as part of the programme.
The project is anticipated to support jobs in regions such as Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Bristol, and Stevenage, contributing to wider economic activity around the country.
The contracts fall within the Low Cost Air Defence Effectors (LCADE) programme.
The National Armaments Director (NAD) Group, which is responsible for delivering the project, manages LCADE as part of the multinational Low Cost Effectors and Autonomous Platforms (LEAP) collaboration.
LEAP involves the UK, Poland, France, Italy, and Germany, each operating separate national competitions before moving to a cross-border development phase.
The aim is to foster the design of affordable effectors and autonomous systems that meet the demands of rapidly evolving security environments.
Oversight of the contract process was provided by Commercial X, a procurement team within the NAD Group.
Commercial X is tasked with driving innovation in defence by facilitating faster acquisition processes and increasing opportunities for SMEs to enter the defence market.
In the past, the team has played a role in government procurement for hypersonic and directed energy weapon technologies and has supported agreements with emerging British technology companies.
Looking ahead, the programme will shift focus to how these new air defence solutions can be manufactured on a larger scale across all five partner nations. This next phase seeks to strengthen both national and European security by ensuring new systems can be delivered quickly where needed.
