UK to deliver Skyhammer drone interceptor missiles to Gulf allies | The National
AI Analysis
The UK is set to deliver Skyhammer interceptor missiles to Gulf allies to counter Iranian Shahed-style drones. Cambridge Aerospace, a UK-based AI start-up, will supply hundreds of these radar-guided, tube-launched interceptors with a range of 30km and a speed of 700kph.
Key Takeaways
- UK to deliver Skyhammer interceptor missiles to Gulf allies within weeks.
- Cambridge Aerospace to supply hundreds of interceptors and launchers.
- Skyhammer system has a 30km range and 700kph top speed.
- UK-led Gulf ambassadors’ liaison group enhancing defense cooperation.
- Initiative emerged from a UK defense round-table event with Gulf representatives.
Why It Matters
This delivery enhances the air defense capabilities of Gulf allies against Iranian drone threats, reinforcing regional security and deterring potential aggressions. It also signifies deepening UK-Gulf defense relations and supports US operations in the region, ensuring strategic stability in the Strait of Hormuz.
UK to deliver Skyhammer drone interceptor missiles to Gulf allies | The National
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Air defence missiles in the sky over Qatar. Getty Images
Air defence missiles in the sky over Qatar. Getty Images
Air defence missiles in the sky over Qatar. Getty Images
UK to deliver Skyhammer drone interceptor missiles to Gulf allies
New weapon in fight against Shahed drones to be dispatched next month
London
April 10, 2026
English
Arabic
- Britain will deliver Skyhammer interceptor missiles to Gulf allies within weeks to counter Iranian Shahed-style drones and missiles.
- John Healey announced Cambridge Aerospace will supply hundreds of tube-launched interceptors and launchers for regional forces and UK deployments.
- The jet-powered, radar-guided system reportedly has a 30km range and 700kph top speed, with first deliveries scheduled for May.
- A UK-led Gulf ambassadors’ liaison group is deepening defence co-operation, alongside basing permissions that support US operations in the region.
- “To be open, the Strait of Hormuz needs to be open for all international traffic with freedom of navigation – with no tolls,” Luke Pollard said.
A new generation of British missile capable of taking out Iranian drones and missiles has been lined up for delivery to the country's Middle East allies next month, it has been announced.
John Healey, the UK’s Defence Secretary, has said the AI start-up Cambridge Aerospace has been granted a Middle East contract for “hundreds of new missiles and launchers”.
The interceptor supplies will be ready for use by the UK armed forces deployed in the region, as well as its allies, “within weeks”. Less than two years after it was founded, Cambridge Aerospace has developed the tube-launched drone killer to take out incoming bomber swarms.
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Speaking at the London Defence Conference, Mr Healey said a new era of threat had arrived with the Iran war. “We're going to see from [Cambridge Aerospace] within weeks hundreds of new interceptor missiles and launchers that we'll be able to put to our own forces and our allies within the Middle East to reinforce the air defences and then deterrence beyond that.”
One of the new interceptor missiles. Photo: MOD
The interceptor missile is known as Skyhammer and is designed to counter Shahed-style attack drones. The first deliveries are scheduled for May.
The interceptor has a range of 30km and a maximum speed of 700kph, according to a statement. The UK government said the initiative emerged from last month’s round-table event in London, at which representatives from 13 major UK defence companies met Gulf ambassadors and defence attachés to explore new industry support for regional allies. Skyhammer i