Last Updated on April 10, 2026 by allieddispatch | Published: April 10, 2026
In a major announcement at the London Defence Conference today, Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed that the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has reached an agreement with the British start-up Cambridge Aerospace to supply the “Skyhammer” interceptor missile system.
This deal will result in the UK and its allies in the Gulf being better protected and able to counter the “Shahed-style” drone threats that have redefined modern warfare.
Meet the Skyhammer
Designed specifically to defeat low-cost, one-way attack drones (UAS), the Skyhammer provides “affordable mass”, allowing the armed forces to intercept cheap threats without using million-pound missiles. The Skyhammer system has a range of 30km (approx. 19 miles) at a speed of 700km/h (Mach 0.7).
Rapid Procurement: Lessons from Ukraine
The speed of this deal is unprecedented. Cambridge Aerospace only started developing Skyhammer in January 2025 and reached initial flight testing within six weeks.
The MoD is now applying the “Ukraine Model” of procurement, moving from contract to delivery in a matter of weeks, rather than years. The first tranche of Skyhammer missiles and launchers is set to be delivered to the UK military and Gulf partners as early as May 2026.
A Boost for “UK PLC”
Beyond the front line, this deal is an economic engine. It supports 125 existing roles and creates 50 new high-skilled jobs at Cambridge Aerospace. It highlights the government’s push of delivering 2.6% of GDP in defence spending by 2027 by backing homegrown, veteran-led innovation.
Defence Secretary John Healey MP stated:
“Our government backing for Cambridge Aerospace is a prime case of a veteran-founded UK defence start-up scaling at pace to deliver new interceptor missiles within weeks for our Armed Forces and Gulf partners.”
Steven Barrett, CEO of Cambridge Aerospace, added:
“Skyhammer was designed to bring affordable mass to protect our skies. We welcome the Government’s commitment to supporting UK air defence with scalable, sovereign solutions.”
This announcement follows last month’s roundtable event in London, which saw representatives from 13 key UK-based defence companies, such as Cambridge Aerospace, meeting Gulf ambassadors and defence attaches.
The Allied Dispatch View
At Allied Dispatch, we see the Skyhammer deal as a turning point. For too long, the “cost-exchange ratio” was in the attacker’s favour, using a £2 million missile to shoot down a £20,000 drone. Cambridge Aerospace has flipped the script. By providing a high-speed, radar-guided solution at a fraction of the traditional cost, they are giving the UK and its Gulf partners the ability to sustain a defence against the high-volume drone swarms of the future.