German drone maker to build mini-submarines in Britain
Helsing, a fast-growing defence start-up based in Germany, will open a new facility in Plymouth to produce SG-1 Fathom gliders equipped with advanced software that can listen for underwater sounds to detect threats such as Russian submarines.
They are designed to be deployed in large numbers and then left to lurk underwater – before rapidly resurfacing to raise the alarm if they detect an object of concern.
The low-cost devices use artificial intelligence (AI) software known as the Lura system, which was developed in partnership with the Royal Navy and can differentiate between different types of vessels based on minute differences in the sounds they make.
In partnership with the Navy, Helsing has been testing the technology out of Plymouth in recent months.
On Tuesday, the Government said Helsing's new factory would open later this year and form part of a new 'national centre of marine autonomy'.
It comes after the Government's Strategic Defence Review warned that undersea infrastructure such as electricity interconnectors, oil and gas pipelines and fibre optic cables were 'increasingly vulnerable' to sabotage.
'Resilience factories'
Helsing was founded by entrepreneurs Gundbert Scherf, Torsten Reil and Niklas Köhler in 2021.
It develops AI software and drones and raised €600m (£518m) in funding last month from investors including Daniel Ek, the co-founder of Spotify.
The Munich-based company was recently valued at €5bn, making it one of Europe's most valuable defence start-ups.
The company's Plymouth site is eventually expected to produce hundreds of SG-1 Fathom drones, with the company scaling up its European manufacturing operations.
The facility has been hailed by the Government as the first in a network of 'resilience factories' that will be able to collectively increase production in a crisis.
Ned Baker, the UK boss of Helsing, said: 'Helsing supports the Government's ambitions for our defences and economy. We are investing in both by opening the first UK resilience factory and accelerating our £350m commitment.
'We have confidence in the Government's commitment to new technological solutions for defence. Together, we can attract further private investment, equipping our Armed Forces and growing the economy.'
The Government said the new factory would 'provide allied navies' with Helsing's drones, but did not say whether the Royal Navy was expected to be a future customer.
It came as ministers separately announced the findings of a 'defence and economic growth taskforce' designed to ensure that 'working people benefit from the Government's move to increase defence spending'.
The taskforce has recommended that the Government take a 'Team UK' approach to promoting British defence exports abroad, while also promoting the production of 'dual-use' technologies that can be used by both civil and military customers.
John Healey, the Defence Secretary, said: 'In a new era for defence, we are building a new partnership with the UK's outstanding defence industry, with innovators and with investors.
'We will equip our Armed Forces for the future and make defence an engine for economic growth through our defence industrial strategy – unlocking investment, reforming procurement, championing innovation and backing companies of all sizes.'
It comes after The Telegraph revealed on Monday that Anduril, the US defence technology company, had also proposed building a helicopter drone factory in Britain.
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