A new British-built interceptor missile designed to counter Shahed-style attack drones has been successfully tested in Jordan, less than two weeks after the Ministry of Defence signed a contract to buy the system for the UK Armed Forces, according to the government.
The Skyhammer missile, produced by UK veteran-led start-up Cambridge Aerospace, was tested at one of Deep Element’s defence development facilities in Jordan in demanding desert conditions, witnessed by Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard during a visit to Kuwait and Jordan for discussions on regional security and defence cooperation.
Pollard said the trial was “a perfect example of a UK start up innovating, with the backing of this government, to deliver cutting edge technology” and described it as demonstrating how UK defence industry could deliver at pace, learning lessons from the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. He said the visit showed “the UK is standing by our long-term partners and delivering on our promise to provide support.”
Steven Barrett, CEO of Cambridge Aerospace, said the trial had “proven that our interceptors are not only cost-effective but also highly capable and will be able to counter the rising threat posed by aerial attacks” and welcomed the MoD’s support as the company looked to protect the UK and its partners with high-performance, rapidly deployable air defence systems.
Skyhammer has a range of 30 kilometres and a maximum speed of 700 kilometres per hour. The first tranche of missiles and launchers will be delivered to the UK Armed Forces in May, with more to follow within the first six months of the agreement. The multi-million-pound contract is creating over 50 new jobs and supporting 125 existing positions at Cambridge Aerospace.
During his visit, Pollard met Kuwait’s Minister of Defence and paid tribute to the efforts of Kuwaiti Armed Forces and UK personnel who protected civilians and critical national infrastructure during Iran’s missile and drone campaign prior to the current ceasefire.
Good news. This is what is needed, now need to develop a swarm anti swarm.
It’s astounding just how many quality small British companies there are nocking out some of the best weapons in the world right now.
The garden shed will always remain Britains most important defence research infrastructure 😀
Shahed drones cost between $20000 to $50000 depending on the model I guess.
So if this missile cost less than $20000 to produce (which I doubt knowing western weapons procurement) it should more than pay for itself
Iirc Hammerhead is ~£30k (so, more expensive than a Shahed)? However, it’s not the cost of the Shahed itself but of the potential damage averted by the interception that would make it cost effective or not.
Positive news that an order has actually been purchased. Wonder how many systems. Could be a good addition to a layered air defence when combined with land captor.
Wonder if systems like that will be adapted for a last ditch defence for submarines in future, some form of podded torpedo launcher , inflatable base that sits on the surface, simple ramp, rocket motors to get them airborne. X band seeker to search for suitable targets.That would make life unpleasant for dipping ASW helicopters and some MPA depending on altitude.
Hopefully they buy lots, the manpower might be an issue.
Shows what can be done when there is a will. We need to ditch the committee mindset more often and just get on with addressing needs.
Fantastic news. A small start-up Veteran led company, showing what can be achieved. As already said above, there are dozens of these companies out there.
Hopefully this will encourage the MOD to cast their gaze further, and not only look at larger companies, who’s main focus seems to be their eye watering prices for everything.