The contracts were awarded to Frankenberg Technologies, Greenjets and Cambridge Aerospace. The companies will now develop and trial their designs as part of the Low Cost Air Defence Effectors programme, known as LCADE.
The Ministry of Defence said low-cost interceptors are becoming more important as states use large numbers of cheap, mass-produced drones that can overwhelm traditional air defence systems. It cited Russia’s launch of the equivalent of more than 200 drones per day into Ukraine in March 2026 as an example of the scale of the challenge.
LCADE is being delivered by the National Armaments Director Group as part of the wider European Low Cost Effectors and Autonomous Platforms programme. The LEAP effort brings together the UK, Poland, France, Italy and Germany to develop affordable effectors and autonomous systems.
Each partner country is running its own national competition before a later multilateral phase. The aim is to stimulate growth across the European defence industry, improve collaboration and deliver scalable systems for allied forces.
The UK contracts were delivered by Commercial X, a National Armaments Director Group team focused on speeding up procurement and reducing barriers for smaller companies. The Ministry of Defence said the approach is intended to bring innovative suppliers into defence programmes more quickly.
All three selected suppliers are small or medium-sized businesses with a UK presence. The Ministry of Defence said each company has committed to building manufacturing capability in the UK, supporting jobs across Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Bristol and Stevenage.
Cambridge Aerospace was only recently identified to the Ministry of Defence. Officials said its selection showed the value of widening access to new market entrants.
The next phase will focus on identifying systems that could be produced in large numbers across the five partner nations. The Ministry of Defence said this will require strong manufacturing capacity and reliable supply chains so interceptors can be delivered quickly and at scale.
“With the award of these contracts, Commercial X and the LCADE programme are demonstrating the powerful, low-cost capabilities we can deliver when we open up Defence and collaborate with some of the UK’s most agile, innovative companies. Through the LEAP programme, we are joining forces across borders to rapidly procure new systems, supporting both the UK and our allies against the growing mass drone threat,” said National Armaments Director Rupert Pearce.
“We are extremely proud to have been awarded this contract under LCADE and to be demonstrating the role innovative British businesses can play in rapidly strengthening national defence capabilities. We look forward to working with the MoD and our partners as we move into demonstration trials later this year,” said Greenjets Chief Executive Officer Anmol Manohar.
“This contract from the MOD represents a significant step in our commitment to deliver low-cost, high-scale interceptors to the UK and Europe. We welcome the opportunity to work with the Ministry of Defence as we continuously develop our products to suit the needs of the end-user,” said Cambridge Aerospace Chief Executive Officer Steven Barrett.
“I am delighted we have been awarded the LCADE contract. Through this contract we will develop low-cost, mass-manufactured missiles in the UK to defeat the scale of the mass drone threat,” said Dan Hallett, Managing Director of Frankenberg Technologies.
