Rotron Aerospace says it has completed a successful flight trial of its SkyLance “one way effect” system under the UK Ministry of Defence’s Project Brakestop, a Task Force Kindred-funded initiative.
The company said the trial validated core technologies underpinning its SkyLance capability and pointed to collaboration between the MoD, wider government and industry partners, including QinetiQ.
Rotron said Project Brakestop has led to the creation of more than 160 jobs across the UK defence aerospace sector.
In the release, Rotron contrasted the project with traditional defence acquisition, saying the approach to procurement and rapid development can help smaller suppliers deliver capabilities more quickly. The company also claimed its cost base enables delivery at lower cost than larger prime contractors.
Rotron said a key feature of SkyLance is propulsion technology designed, developed and manufactured in the UK, which it said provides sovereign control over critical technology, production and future development.
Commenting on the milestone, Alex Head, chief executive officer of Rotron Aerospace, said:
“Project Brakestop is one of the most innovative programmes the UK MoD has delivered in recent years. Collaboration between the MoD, wider government, QinetiQ and industry has been critical to its success. This programme proves agile UK SMEs can deliver complex defence capability at pace, often outperforming traditional procurement models. Through sovereign technology, rapid development and lower-cost delivery, we can provide better value for the taxpayer while strengthening the UK defence industrial base.Programmes like Brakestop create capability, jobs and export opportunity. The UK needs more initiatives like this to maintain its technological advantage.”
The company also said demand for “affordable long-range strike capabilities” is growing globally and claimed investment in defence innovation could drive future export revenue.
Rotron Aerospace Limited is a subsidiary of Ondas Inc.
Image caption: From left to right as pictured – John Dixon (Rotron COO), Alex Head (Rotron CEO), Dan Jarvis (Secretary of State for Defence) and Gilo Cardozo (Rotron Founder)
