Cambridge Aerospace, an emerging UK manufacturer, will deliver a ‘significant number’ of its low-cost Skyhammer air defence systems, designed to counter attack drones like the Shahed 136 at ranges of over 30km.
The announcement was made by the UK Secretary of State for Defence John Healey MP on the opening day of the London Defence Conference, which has taken place at King’s College London each Spring since 2022. Pending contract finalization, the first units are expected to be delivered to the UK Armed Forces as soon as May 2026, and all deliveries are due to be completed within six months. No exact figure has yet been publicly confirmed, though Cambridge Aerospace says the deal involves a ‘significant number’ of systems.
Skyhammer was revealed by Cambridge Aerospace at last year’s Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) exhibition, where the company said the design had gone from the drawing board to the sky in just only six weeks. It is powered to a max speed of 700 kilometres per hour by a jet engine, ground-launched from a tube, and features a bespoke radar for terminal guidance. The system’s first flight took place in the first half of 2025.
News from UK’s Cambridge Aerospace which says it will be delivering a ‘significant number’ of low-cost Skyhammer air defence systems to UK MoD from May. Skyhammer – optimised for counter-Shahed role – has a range of 30km with a top speed of 700km/h #avgeek pic.twitter.com/0VXxw8WU9S
— Tim Robinson (@RAeSTimR) April 10, 2026
No exact cost per unit for Skyhammer is known, though representatives of the company have suggested it is very equivalent to the cost of a Shahed 136 style drone ($20,000-$50,000). This would appear to make it slightly cheaper per round than the Martlet missile (otherwise known as the Lightweight Multirole Missile or LMM) which is currently being used by Wildcat helicopters to counter attack drones in the Eastern Mediterranean.
I just spoke to their rocket scientist CEO & founder Steven Barrett who said: “Shahed drones cost £20k to £30k…
“Skyhammer is similar. It is comparable.”
— Jerome Starkey (@jeromestarkey) April 10, 2026
It is also comparable to a single Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) round, which is undergoing trials for carriage by the Typhoon in a counter-drone capacity – something which we were among the first to report on last month. Importantly, the Skyhammer – even though it is intended to be launched from the ground – beats both the APKWS II and the Martlet in range capability. The current air to air weapon used by Typhoons and F-35Bs to shoot down drones is the Advanced Short Range Air to Air Missile (ASRAAM), a world-class air to air missile with a unit cost of £200,000 to match.
Typhoon Spotted Loaded With Rocket Pods for the First Time
An RAF Typhoon was pictured at BAE Systems Warton carrying two seven round LAU-131 rocket pods, which can be used to fire APKWS against surface and, importantly, air targets.
Story: https://t.co/9ZJtVJ4wjz
— The Aviationist (@TheAviationist) March 6, 2026
Healey, the Defence Secretary, 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 Forced and Gulf partners, and good jobs and security here in the UK.”
CEO of Cambridge Aerospace Steven Barrett added: “With aerial threats to the UK and our allies increasing by the day, it is critical that we can defend ourselves effectively. Skyhammer was designed to do exactly that – bringing affordable mass to protect our skies. We welcome the Government’s commitment to supporting UK air defence with scalable, sovereign solutions.”
As noted by Healey, Skyhammer ‘drone killers’ are also due to be supplied to unspecified partners in the Gulf region. The UK has been working closely with a number of Gulf states to coordinate defences against drone and missile attacks by Iran and Iran-backed forces, seeing RAF Typhoon FGR4 aircraft deployed to Qatar, and Rapid Sentry systems (firing Martlet missiles) deployed to Iraq, Jordan, and Kuwait. Stormer HVM armored vehicles, which can fire Martlet missiles or the related anti-air dedicated Starstreak missile, have been stationed in Saudi Arabia since 2022.
Cambridge Aerospace has:
Skyhammer (Left) – Tube-launched subsonic turbojet drone interceptor, Mach 0.7, 30km)
Starhammer (Right) – Solid rocket, higher end drone/cruise missile interceptor, Mach 2, 10km). Longer BM capable version in development. https://t.co/UuwN6F0E0q pic.twitter.com/z1SjRyiTzT
— Britsky (@TBrit90) April 10, 2026
Cambridge Aerospace also has Starhammer in the development pipeline, which is designed as a more traditional point defence surface to air missile for higher tier threats, boasting a top speed of Mach 2. Anti-ballistic missile (ABM) capabilities are envisioned in future evolutions. The company currently supports 125 jobs in the UK, and this deal is predicted to see as many as 50 more created.
Defence Investment Plan Delays Hit Hard
The acquisition announcement by the MoD comes while the Defence Investment Plan (DIP), promised last autumn by last year’s Strategic Defence Review, remains unpublished. Now well overdue, many defence investment and procurement decisions have been placed on hold until it is finalized. A specific exception had to be made for the placing of the New Medium Helicopter (NMH) order with Leonardo after the company very plainly and directly stated that the delay in awarding a contract was threatening the future of its UK operations.
Faced with questions at the London Defence Conference, Healey did not reveal any planned date for the DIP to be published, but told Sky News “This is a 10-year plan. It’s important we get it right”. An unnamed official said that the plan may be released in June, but this date is far from guaranteed. Complications are said to largely come from complex negotiations between the MoD and the Treasury over the significant funds required for the necessary investments.
BREAKING: Finalising the UK’s much delayed defence investment plan – which should have been released last autumn but is still under wraps – is the Prime Minster’s “highest priority”, the defence secretary says
— Deborah Haynes (@haynesdeborah) April 10, 2026
Key capabilities addressed by the DIP are expected to include the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) fighter, the UK’s F-35 fleet, the Royal Navy’s planned Type 83 air defence destroyers, air to surface weaponry, air defence systems, and a variety of drone and counter-drone platforms.
Large and small defence companies are all being hit by the delays, and a number have ceased trading amid the difficult period. Director General of Make UK Defence Andrew Kinniburgh told The Guardian that smaller firms are “desperately trying to hang on to their people and keep their factories alive. The trouble for them is they’re just bleeding cash. There’s cash out the door every day to feed the baby birds, and they’re just on pause.”
