A UK firm has raised £30 million in Series A funding to develop low-cost drone interceptors.
Greenjets believes it can become the UK’s next aerospace ‘prime’ – primary contractor – which essentially puts it at the top of a supply chain.
The round was led by Blossom Capital with participation from the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF), the National Security Strategic Investment Fund (NSSIF), and existing investors including Tanglin Ventures and NSFO Family Office.
The announcement comes days after Greenjets was named one of three companies selected by the Ministry of Defence under the Low-Cost Air Defence Effectors (LCADE) programme to develop a British low-cost drone interceptor.
LCADE is delivered by the National Armaments Director Group as part of LEAP, a five-nation European effort spanning the UK, Poland, France, Italy and Germany, with the UK becoming the first partner nation to put suppliers on contract. Greenjets’ interceptor moves into demonstration trials later this year.
Its integrated portfolio spans propulsion systems, aircraft platforms and launch technologies, all built on a common technology stack that enables rapid iteration, production at scale and deployment across multiple aerospace applications.
Headquartered in the UK but with operations in Germany, Greenjets is expanding its presence across India, the Middle East and the United States as demand for sovereign aerospace technologies continues to grow. It is under contract across multiple UK and international programmes, with technologies progressing towards demonstration trials with the UK MoD and partners this year.
Over the past year, Greenjets has expanded from 12,000 to nearly 70,000 square feet of UK facilities and is on track to grow from 160 to more than 250 people, supporting the transition from development to production.
“When we founded Greenjets, our ambition was to develop the technologies that would shape the future of aviation,” stated Anmol Manohar, CEO, and Guido Monterzino, CTO.
“The conflict in Ukraine has reinforced just how important those same technologies are in protecting lives, strengthening Europe’s resilience and enabling the future of flight.
“We believe building affordable defensive capability is a necessary response to today’s realities, and a natural extension of our mission to advance aviation.”
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Maxim Frenkel, partner at Blossom Capital, commented: ”Greenjets gives aircraft builders what no legacy architecture can: speed, silence, range and instant response, tuned to whatever the mission demands.
“That is why their propulsion is being designed into platforms across the full spectrum of autonomous flight. Anmol, Guido and the team stand out for a relentless focus on delivery and customer satisfaction.”
Patrick Schneider-Sikorsky, partner at NIF, commented: ”The speed at which the defence and security drone industry is evolving means that propulsion is the constraint that determines whether an interceptor can close the gap on a 500 km/h target or vice versa.
“Greenjets is addressing this at the engine and airframe level, meaningfully improving the performance of UAS and CUAS companies, without them having to solve propulsion independently. This is exactly the kind of Allied supply-chain technology we were set up to back.”
Edmund Phillips, investment partner at NSSIF, commented: ”NSSIF is proud to be part of Greenjets future.
“The company presents a special combination of a deep technological moat and roadmap of high value applications in defence and civil use cases over the long term, with a platform for mass production and rapid iteration that addresses acute defence needs in the present.
“Greenjets is already making a material contribution to the UK’s security and prosperity, and this is set to scale massively.”