Latest news with #LeonardoUK
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
British jammer drone opens door to unmanned wingmen in combat
ROME — The U.K. has launched a new jammer drone it says will fly into the battle space ahead of F-35s and Typhoons and jam and bamboozle enemy radar. The RAF StormShroud, which went into operation on Friday, is based on the 100km range AR3 drone built by British-Portuguese firm Tekever, which has been used in Ukraine. On board, the StormShroud carries the BriteStorm stand-in jammer supplied by Leonardo UK, which is designed to block enemy radar or spoof it, creating 'ghost' jet signatures. The new asset 'means for the first time, the RAF will benefit from high-end electronic warfare without needing crew to man it, freeing them up for other vital frontline missions,' the UK government said in a statement. 'This is a seminal moment for the RAF to maintain our advantage in air combat and national security,' said RAF Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton. An initial investment of £19 million ($25 million) by the RAF will see Tekever produce 'hundreds' of platforms in the UK this year, the firm said. The rail-launched AR3, which has a maximum operating weight of 25kg boasts 16 hour endurance and a cruise speed of up to 90kmh. Tekever's AR3 and AR5 drones have flown 10,000 hours in Ukraine. 'In a further vote of confidence in Britain's defense industry, British-Portuguese tech company Tekever, who manufacture the drones in the U.K., plan to invest a further £400 million over the next 5 years across the U.K. and create up to 1,000 more highly skilled jobs,' the British government said. The 2.5kg BriteStorm, which is about the size of six Coke cans, including its transmit and receive modules and antenna, uses Leonardo's Digital Radio Frequency Memory (DRFM) technology to digitally capture enemy radar signals. Leonardo has said that traditional, large manned aircraft carrying stand-off jammers must fly further back in the battle space and are less effective. Operated by the RAF's 216 Squadron, the StormShroud is designed to be expendable. Describing the BriteStorm, Leonardo said, 'On its return, BriteStorm is rapidly reprogrammable for subsequent missions, but if destroyed in the defense of higher-value or crewed platforms, its loss would be tolerable.' The drone marks a step towards the collaboration between manned and unmanned aerial platforms – an ambition of the UK-Italian-Japanese GCAP fighter program, which envisages swarms of drones flying alongside fighters. The RAF said that it was determined to bring such technologies to the front line fast. 'Lessons learned from the war in Ukraine have boosted StormShroud's production and it's taken just a year from the Urgent Capability Requirement (UCR) being endorsed to delivering the new capability, significantly reducing program time and costs,' the service said.
Sky News
02-05-2025
- Business
- Sky News
Sir Keir Starmer hails new British 'StormShroud' drones coming into operation
New British air systems are set to come into operation on Friday as Sir Keir Starmer vowed the government would "take bold action to stand up to Putin and ruthlessly protect UK and European security". The autonomous StormShroud drones will be equipped with a signal jammer able to disrupt enemy signal radar from a long range to protect RAF crews it will fly alongside on frontline missions. "Learnings from countering [Vladimir] Putin's illegal war in Ukraine" were used to develop the cutting-edge technology, according to Number 10. The prime minister thanked staff who worked on the drones during a visit to defence contractor Leonardo UK in Bedfordshire on Friday. "StormShroud is an incredibly forward-looking piece of kit and capability that will help us as we go forward," Sir Keir said. The RAF will initially invest £19m into the cutting-edge drones, which utilise electronic warfare technology BriteStorm made by Leonardo UK. It comes as Tekever, the company which manufactures the drones, announced a further £400m investment in the UK in a move the government hailed as supporting hundreds of new British jobs. Speaking ahead of the Bedfordshire visit, Sir Keir said: "Investment in our defence is an investment in this country's future." He added: "Putting money behind our armed forces and defence industry is safeguarding our economic and national security by putting money back in the pockets of hard-working British people and protecting them for generations to come. "Together with our allies, this government is taking the bold action needed to stand up to Putin and ruthlessly protect UK and European security, which is vital for us to deliver our Plan for Change and improve lives of working people up and down the country."
The Herald Scotland
02-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
UK's new ‘StormShroud' drones come into operation
Number 10 said the development took advantage of 'learnings from countering (Vladimir) Putin's illegal war in Ukraine'. Tekever, the company which manufactures the drones, announced a further £400 million investment in the UK in a move the Government said would support hundreds of new jobs. The RAF is putting in an initial £19 million into StormShroud, which make use of BriteStorm – an electronic warfare technology made by Leonardo UK. The Prime Minister is visiting a Leonardo UK site in the South East on Friday to talk up the announcement as he seeks to focus on 'business as usual' following the Runcorn and Helsby by-election and local polls in England. Sir Keir is yet to react to Reform UK's narrow win in the parliamentary seat won by Labour with a majority of almost 14,700 less than a year ago. Nigel Farage's party also made inroads against both Labour and the Conservatives across England in local elections, and gained its first mayor in Greater Lincolnshire. Elsewhere, Labour held on to mayoralties in both Doncaster and North Tyneside, with Reform coming a close second in both contests. Speaking ahead of the visit, Sir Keir said: 'Investment in our defence is an investment in this country's future. 'Putting money behind our armed forces and defence industry is safeguarding our economic and national security by putting money back in the pockets of hard-working British people and protecting them for generations to come. 'Together with our allies, this Government is taking the bold action needed to stand up to Putin and ruthlessly protect UK and European security, which is vital for us to deliver our Plan for Change and improve lives of working people up and down the country.'
Leader Live
02-05-2025
- Business
- Leader Live
UK's new ‘StormShroud' drones come into operation
The StormShroud air systems will be fitted with a high-tech signal jammer to disrupt enemy radar at long range and fly alongside RAF crews on frontline missions. Number 10 said the development took advantage of 'learnings from countering (Vladimir) Putin's illegal war in Ukraine'. Tekever, the company which manufactures the drones, announced a further £400 million investment in the UK in a move the Government said would support hundreds of new jobs. The RAF is putting in an initial £19 million into StormShroud, which make use of BriteStorm – an electronic warfare technology made by Leonardo UK. The Prime Minister is visiting a Leonardo UK site in the South East on Friday to talk up the announcement as he seeks to focus on 'business as usual' following the Runcorn and Helsby by-election and local polls in England. Sir Keir is yet to react to Reform UK's narrow win in the parliamentary seat won by Labour with a majority of almost 14,700 less than a year ago. Nigel Farage's party also made inroads against both Labour and the Conservatives across England in local elections, and gained its first mayor in Greater Lincolnshire. Elsewhere, Labour held on to mayoralties in both Doncaster and North Tyneside, with Reform coming a close second in both contests. Speaking ahead of the visit, Sir Keir said: 'Investment in our defence is an investment in this country's future. 'Putting money behind our armed forces and defence industry is safeguarding our economic and national security by putting money back in the pockets of hard-working British people and protecting them for generations to come. 'Together with our allies, this Government is taking the bold action needed to stand up to Putin and ruthlessly protect UK and European security, which is vital for us to deliver our Plan for Change and improve lives of working people up and down the country.'
