The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded GBP 3.16 million to three suppliers to develop new low‑cost interceptors designed to shoot down drones and other airborne threats. A 13 July MoD press release says the UK is the first of five European partner nations to award contracts under a joint programme to strengthen air defence.
“These interceptors are designed to provide a more affordable way to counter drones,” the MoD said. “This is increasingly important as countries begin to use large numbers of cheap, mass-produced drones that can overwhelm traditional air defence systems, which are more expensive and slower to produce. In March 2026, Russia launched the equivalent of more than 200 drones per day into Ukraine, highlighting the scale of the challenge.”
The programme is known as Low‑Cost Air Defence Effectors (LCADE) and is being delivered by the National Armaments Director (NAD) Group as part of a wider European effort known as Low‑Cost Effectors and Autonomous Platforms (LEAP). LEAP brings together the UK, Poland, France, Italy and Germany to develop affordable effectors and autonomous systems. Each country is running its own national competition, which will be followed by a multilateral phase.
The three successful companies selected by the MoD are Frankenberg Technologies, Greenjets and Cambridge Aerospace, who will now develop and trial their designs. Each has a UK presence and has committed to building manufacturing capability in the UK. The contracts were delivered by Commercial X, a NAD Group team responsible for accelerating the pace of procurement and reducing barriers to entry to smaller companies.
“The next phase will focus on identifying solutions that can potentially be produced in large numbers across the five partner nations,” the MoD said. “This will require strong manufacturing capacity and reliable supply chains to ensure the systems can be delivered quickly and at scale.”
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Image: Greenjets
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