Wow.
So, guesstimates of the cost. Over £250k each? Over £500k?
Sounds like some seriously dodgy procurement shit could be crawling out of the woodwork. Anyone want some PPE?
There is no justification for MoD not to reveal the procurement process.
UK defense startup to supply drone interceptors for Britain and allies
Britain is set to buy interceptors from a homegrown startup to counter Iranian Shahed-style attack drones, equipping both its own armed forces and allies in the Persian Gulf region. Skyhammer. Supplied by Cambridge Aerospace Skyhammer The Ministry of Defence (MoD) says it intends to buy interceptors known as Skyhammer from …
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Monday 13th April 2026 13:21 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: Wow.
No excuse for MoD to not set a clear price point. A $5000 drone isn't just lethal to soldiers, it's also lethal to defense budgets which shoot down $5000 drones with $1,000,000 missile interceptors.
The Strait of Hormuz is closed because no sane person will risk a ship filled with 2 million barrels of $100/bbl crude oil when $1500 mines are floating in the water.
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Monday 13th April 2026 13:57 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: Wow.
Closed by cheap mines and cheap drones. Lloyds can do the math on $200 million in insured oil spilling out into the Gulf and creating an environmental catastrophe.
If war is expensive for us and cheap for our enemies then the winning strategy is to wear us down financially. We'd rather our tax dollars be spent constructively back home, not pissed away on foreign wars of choice.
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Monday 13th April 2026 14:45 GMT I ain't Spartacus
Re: Wow.
The only things I've seen on price, is that they plan to scale up production, and be able to sell the drones at a few tens of thousands per unit. But initial costs are going to be higher, while they don't have economies of scale.
Saw one source from DSEI exhibition that they're aiming for £20k a round. And £40k a round for Starhammer, the upgraded rocket-powered version.
This is another venture capital backed start-up moving into the defence industry. There's a lot more of it going on in the US. It could be good. Get new tech fast, in a fast-moving industry - plus give the old skool defence contractors a bit of a kicking. Alternatively they're a scam designed to first fleece the VCs of their cash, then fleece the tax-payers, then ideally last long enough for an IPO to fleece the shareholders.
But they have a flying product. A product that's been tested and seen by the MoD - and they've got a contract where they have to produce a certain amount within 6 months to get the full payment. And the point about the drone world, at the moment, is that most drones are basically obsolescent within a year - maybe much quicker - so make 'em quick and get 'em used. Then upgrade the design and make more. Until development slows down, you actually want a tech move-fast-and-break-things attitude.
The defence incumbents are all about doing massive amounts of paperwork to prove the supply-chain meets all targets, that they have alternative suppliers, plus that their kit can survive 15 years on the shelf, then getting carried around by careless squaddies, then spend some time in a bog, in the arctic, and still work first time every time. That model doesn't fit as well with rapidly iterating drone designs, in a rapidly changing battlefield.
This also means the MoD have got to be agile, and try buying a few different things. Which inevitably means that some programs will fail. Doesn't mean they were a scam, but does make that happening more likely.
We've also got the Octopus drone, that's supposed to be ten times cheaper than Skyhammer - but shorter range. That looks to be a Ukrainian design, that's being built in a factory in the UK - I assume funded by us - and then the drones sent back to Ukraine. When production ramps up, we may want some as well.
Plus the Iran war showed that the MoD had rapidly purchased Rapid Sentry - because it's been deployed out there, defending our bases and some of our allies. That's a combination of the existing Starstreak and Martlet launcher with some anti-drone electronic warfare. Martlet is about £50k a pop, and has a range under 5km. Although it can engage everything from slow-moving aircraft to drones, armoured vehicles, bunkers and attack boats. Skyhammer this is 5-10 times the range.
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Tuesday 14th April 2026 11:23 GMT MarkMLl
Re: Wow.
"But they have a flying product. A product that's been tested and seen by the MoD - and they've got a contract where they have to produce a certain amount within 6 months to get the full payment. And the point about the drone world, at the moment, is that most drones are basically obsolescent within a year - maybe much quicker - so make 'em quick and get 'em used. Then upgrade the design and make more. Until development slows down, you actually want a tech move-fast-and-break-things attitude."
OK, that's encouraging. But I note that the articles says
"We asked the MoD how much this deal is worth. A spokesperson told The Register the contract has yet to be signed, so the information is commercially sensitive, but it is understood to be a multimillion-pound figure that will include integration, technical support, and end user training."
The thing that bothers me however is the "veteran-founded" bit: the CEO is a veteran of Cambridge and MIT and the chairman a veteran politician.
"Veteran", particularly in defence circles and most particularly in the context of our putative ally the USA, has a very distinct meaning. It shouldn't be cheapened.
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Monday 13th April 2026 13:42 GMT Kevin Johnston
I suspect it is the most effective way to get the range/speed needed for this type of interceptor as while there are fast battery powered drones they have very limited range while turbojets are very easy and cheap to produce for single use systems. You can take a lot of shortcuts with materials to make them lighter/cheaper and they will still last long enough to do their job as 'good enough' really is good enough in these instances
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Monday 13th April 2026 14:02 GMT Jellied Eel
I suspect it is the most effective way to get the range/speed needed for this type of interceptor as while there are fast battery powered drones they have very limited range while turbojets are very easy and cheap to produce for single use systems.
Also COTS, eg-
https://www.align-trex.co.uk/nitro-engines-and-spares/jet-engines.html
But also whether the manufacturers of those mini-turbines can supply in sufficient quantities given the demand from Ukraine, Russia, China, Israel, Iran etc etc. Which I guess is also a supply chain issue if these microjets are made in China, and China decides not to sell. But like you say, it's also a need for speed given things like Russia's Geran drones moved from lawnmower engines to turbines some time ago, increasing speed, range and allowing flight & attack profiles that are harder to intercept.
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Monday 13th April 2026 14:01 GMT I ain't Spartacus
Doctor Syntax,
A turbojet sounds unduly complex for a single use device.
I believe the answer is that it's supposed to be cheaper than a rocket.
Although, I'd have thought that something that's going to get humped around the battlefield by squaddies, needs to be as shock-tolerant as possible - hence a solid rocket motor ought to be better.
On the other hand, it may be that solid rockets are currently a bottleneck in weapons production/procurement - and so the idea of getting lots of stuff rapidly built might require looking at alternatives, while also building up our rocket production.
I'm sure I've come across a blurb about them, that their plan is to get a 700 km/h jet drone first, and then up the range and speed with a later rocket-powered model that shares the same controls and warhead.
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Monday 13th April 2026 14:05 GMT Jellied Eel
I'm sure I've come across a blurb about them, that their plan is to get a 700 knot jet drone first, and then up the range and speed with a later rocket-powered model that shares the same controls and warhead.
Or combine the two. There's videos out of Ukraine showing both sides usiing JATO drones, so small rocket motors to get the drone moving. There's also low-tech solutions using compressed air rams, or just elastic. Problem for the West is a lot of the Russian & Iranian developments are being shared amongst people we'd probably rather not have them.
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Monday 13th April 2026 16:57 GMT I ain't Spartacus
Jellied Eel,
If there are people launching drones with elastic, then I demand an emergency government project to launch cows at His Majesty's enemies! Especially the French ones!
The thing I'd heard about was Starhammer. The proposed future rocket version of Skyhammer.
I assume there's a range advantage in using a small jet over a rocket, as you don't have to carry both fuel and oxidiser. At least for something small enough to shoulder-launch designed to go only tens of km.
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Monday 13th April 2026 18:50 GMT Jellied Eel
If there are people launching drones with elastic, then I demand an emergency government project to launch cows at His Majesty's enemies! Especially the French ones!
French are already covered. Just look at a map and the direction where both bores of the Channel Tunnel are aimed. Also rather than cows, it's a catapult, and after yeeting a moggy in the general direction of a drone, it's going to be pissed and have both paws & claws out. Plus if angrycat lands on enemy territory, it'll be their problem.. Hopefully.
I assume there's a range advantage in using a small jet over a rocket, as you don't have to carry both fuel and oxidiser. At least for something small enough to shoulder-launch designed to go only tens of km.
I'd guess it's about having options. So a relatively large subsonic drone flying at a relatively low altitude could be dealt with using a regular MANPAD. I have no idea how good those are at detecting and locking on to drones rather than their usual prey like full-sized aircraft and helicopters though. But again also where enemies and potential enemies are adapting, ie Geran drones flying at higher altitudes & then diving on targets.
But I'd guess the problem with using liquid fuelled rockets would be a lot of the liquids can be a tad nasty (Ignition!). Plus safe storage, both short and long term, or squaddie proofing fuelling and firing. Hence why most rockets use solid fuel, which is safe. Ish. And I guess there's also the challenge of burn time being shorter than for a microjet, and additional complexity for detection and control surfaces. And maybe some form-factor issues, like being able to pack a raick of launch tubes on the back of a truck, fire one or all of them at an incoming swarm, then rack up some more. Kinda wonder if some aspects of loitering could be used though, ie use rockets to fire them in the general direction & then use parachutes to retard their descent.
And then dealing with damage downrange caused by falling interceptors, but SOP for that has been to blame those on the enemy 'targetting civilians'.
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Monday 13th April 2026 14:07 GMT Anonymous Coward
Drones....and Drones!
HMS Dragon.....the ONLY one of six that actually (sort of) works!
Aircraft carrier where the propellor falls off at the first attempt to sail under power!
Common denominator -- Babcocks!
Alleged common denominator -- large brown envelopes changing hands!
......and now we hear about "drones"....................
Yup....."...the contract has yet to be signed........"
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Monday 13th April 2026 17:08 GMT avolare_drones2
Avolare
Meanwhile my own small UK anti-drone startup continues on its fundraising journey. We are a UK SME of just a handful of employees who have designed a fully autonomous drone capable of catching other drones with a net and tether. Feel free to search for "Avolare" on YouTube and the video will come up. We're hoping once we get angel investment funding to be featured on El Reg too.
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Monday 13th April 2026 18:54 GMT Jellied Eel
Re: Avolare
Meanwhile my own small UK anti-drone startup continues on its fundraising journey.
Good luck with that! Out of interest, do you get any help from the MoD? Like these are the parameters of the Russian & Iranian drones we'd like dealt with? Wondering if institutional paranoia would prevent useful stuff like that from being shared, even though their Official Secrets aren't ours.
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Tuesday 14th April 2026 10:28 GMT avolare_drones2
Re: Avolare
Hi, thanks for your reply. Our target market (at present) is civilian including prisons, airports and police, although we acknowledge the dual-use possibilities of such a product. Some Googling suggests Cambridge Aerospace received £100m of investment - our requirements to enter batch production are approximately a factor of 200x less. Our email address is at the end of the video for interested parties to contact.
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Monday 13th April 2026 17:25 GMT Anonymous Coward
Unconvinced
Why would the MoD sign on the dotted line before insisting on seeing a livefire test on the current active battlefield, namely Ukraine?
Over there, the Ukrainians themselves are using anti-Geran drones which cost on the order of $500. This Skyhammer gizmo apparently has a unit cost between £20-30k, according to another source. That's too expensive and the enemy will simply be able to overwhelm the defences through sheer weight of numbers.
Personally, I think that netting is probably the best form of drone defence. Of course, you can't cover everywhere in nets but you could probably concentrate defences (massive lasers? Phalanx automated guns?) on obvious targets such as power stations, transport hubs and data centres etc.
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Tuesday 14th April 2026 09:26 GMT Kevin Johnston
Re: Unconvinced
It seems they have already considered the concentrated defence option in combination with limited manpower. Explained really well here...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5upVdJuKp4
AI Assisted machine gun turrets deployed around critical targets and supported by the staff working at that target with some training from the military.
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Tuesday 14th April 2026 10:29 GMT Taliesinawen
Can't wait for these to be deployed Tooting Martyr's Brigade /s
ClippyAI: What is the Tooting Martyr's Brigade?
GPT 4.1 Nano: ‘The Tooting Martyr's Brigade was a nickname given to a group of British soldiers from the Tooting area in London during World War I. The term is often associated with the 17th (Service) Battalion, London Regiment (Poplar and Stepney Rifles), which was part of the New Army formed during the war. These soldiers earned the nickname "Martyr's Brigade" due to their bravery and the heavy casualties they suffered in various battles, particularly on the Western Front.’
