![\"UK](\"https:\/\/theaviationist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ukordersskyhammer_1-460x259.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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\u2019s 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<\/a>, and all deliveries are due to be completed within six months. No exact figure has yet been publicly confirmed, though Cambridge Aerospace says<\/a> the deal involves a \u2018significant number\u2019 of systems.\u00a0<\/p>\n Skyhammer was revealed by Cambridge Aerospace at last year\u2019s 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<\/a>. 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\u2019s first flight took place in the first half of 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n News from UK\u2019s Cambridge Aerospace which says it will be delivering a \u2018significant number\u2019 of low-cost Skyhammer air defence systems to UK MoD from May. Skyhammer \u2013 optimised for counter-Shahed role \u2013 has a range of 30km with a top speed of 700km\/h #avgeek<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/0VXxw8WU9S<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Tim Robinson (@RAeSTimR) April 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n 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<\/a> to counter attack drones in the Eastern Mediterranean.<\/p>\n I just spoke to their rocket scientist CEO & founder Steven Barrett who said: \u201cShahed drones cost \u00a320k to \u00a330k\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cSkyhammer is similar. It is comparable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Jerome Starkey (@jeromestarkey) April 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n It is also comparable to a single Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) round, which is undergoing trials<\/a> for carriage by the Typhoon in a counter-drone capacity \u2013 something which we were among the first to report on last month<\/a>. Importantly, the Skyhammer \u2013 even though it is intended to be launched from the ground \u2013 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 \u00a3200,000 to match.\u00a0<\/p>\n Typhoon Spotted Loaded With Rocket Pods for the First Time<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Story: https:\/\/t.co\/9ZJtVJ4wjz<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 The Aviationist (@TheAviationist) March 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Healey, the Defence Secretary, stated: \u201cOur 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.\u201d<\/p>\n CEO of Cambridge Aerospace Steven Barrett added: \u201cWith 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 \u2013 bringing affordable mass to protect our skies. We welcome the Government\u2019s commitment to supporting UK air defence with scalable, sovereign solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n As noted by Healey, Skyhammer \u2018drone killers\u2019 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<\/a>, 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<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cambridge Aerospace has:<\/p>\n Skyhammer (Left) \u2013 Tube-launched subsonic turbojet drone interceptor, Mach 0.7, 30km)<\/p>\n Starhammer (Right) \u2013 Solid rocket, higher end drone\/cruise missile interceptor, Mach 2, 10km). Longer BM capable version in development. https:\/\/t.co\/UuwN6F0E0q<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/z1SjRyiTzT<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Britsky (@TBrit90) April 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n 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.<\/p>\n The acquisition announcement by the MoD comes while the Defence Investment Plan (DIP), promised last autumn by last year\u2019s 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<\/a> 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<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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<\/em> \u201cThis is a 10-year plan. It\u2019s important we get it right\u201d. An unnamed official said that the plan may be released in June<\/a>, 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n BREAKING: Finalising the UK\u2019s much delayed defence investment plan \u2013 which should have been released last autumn but is still under wraps \u2013 is the Prime Minster\u2019s \u201chighest priority\u201d, the defence secretary says<\/p>\n \u2014 Deborah Haynes (@haynesdeborah) April 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Key capabilities addressed by the DIP are expected to include the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) fighter<\/a>, the UK\u2019s F-35 fleet<\/a>, the Royal Navy\u2019s planned Type 83 air defence destroyers<\/a>, air to surface weaponry<\/a>, air defence systems<\/a>, and a variety of drone and counter-drone platforms<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Large and small defence companies are all being hit by the delays, and a number have ceased trading<\/a> amid the difficult period. Director General of Make UK Defence Andrew Kinniburgh told <\/a>The Guardian\u00a0<\/em>that smaller firms are \u201cdesperately trying to hang on to their people and keep their factories alive. The trouble for them is they\u2019re just bleeding cash. There\u2019s cash out the door every day to feed the baby birds, and they\u2019re just on pause.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Cambridge Aerospace, an emerging UK manufacturer, will deliver a \u2018significant number\u2019 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2006,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2005"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2005\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zephyrsys.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
\n
\n
\n
Defence Investment Plan Delays Hit Hard<\/h2>\n
\n