MBDA invests in UK's Hydra Drones
Image courtesy Hydra Drones
This is one of the first investments by MBDA in a British SME and a step towards future defence partnerships. It also reflects the essential nature of SME and major defence company collaborations under the UK’s defence industrial strategy.
The investment secures the continued development of the Hydra 400 heavy lift drone, which is capable of carrying an array of payloads including casualty evacuation pods, cargo or weapon systems.
With the investment, MBDA becomes a shareholder, bringing together the proven innovation of both Hybrid Drones Ltd and MBDA into an effective partnership to integrate MBDA effectors, and demonstrating its commitment to supporting national cutting-edge defence technologies.
Dr Stephen Prior, CEO of Hybrid Drones Ltd, said: “While our original collaboration with MBDA was a great validation of our agile and innovative technological approach, this further investment in our business means more than just financial backing. It allows us to meaningfully contribute to national defence capabilities while keeping our high-skilled workforce local.
“In light of an increasing need to invest in our indigenous technological development and to be less reliant on international suppliers, it is exactly partnerships such as the one between us and MBDA that can help create a nimble, resilient national defence supply chain that we are proud to be a part of. We look forward to continuing our partnership as we aim to make Hydra the heavy lift hybrid UAV of choice in defence, as well as other sectors.”
Suzanne Jude, Director of UK Sales and Business Development at MBDA, commented on the investment, saying: "Innovation and delivering sovereign capabilities are part of the DNA of MBDA. Having worked in partnership with Hybrid Drones Ltd, our investment is a natural next step in our continued collaboration. By supporting agile, pioneering SMEs such as Hybrid Drones, we're not just investing in a product but in the future of defence ecosystems, strengthening competitive advantage in an increasingly complex global defence landscape.”
The Hydra 400 is a new generation of heavy lift UAV using a hybrid of electric rotors and single spool jet turbines for lift and propulsion. Compact and portable, Hydra can be transported in the back of a flatbed truck and assembled ready for flight in minutes. Hydra is configurable as fully electric or as a hybrid using two, four or six jets.
The British Army’s Warfighting Experiment, which conducts live trials of emerging military technologies, provided a crucial framework for Hydra Drones to collaborate with MBDA, the UK MoD’s strategic partner for complex weapons.
“We owe a great deal to the Army’s Land Industrial Strategy for our successful collaboration with MBDA”, Dr Stephen Prior commented further. “Long-term collaboration between the Army and industry is vital to the work we do, and as a home-grown UK SME, this kind of innovative industrial partnership is exactly what will help position Britain at the forefront of advanced defence technologies.”
