UK Firm Opens $5.4M Round for heavy-lift Drone
Hydra Drones, a British small and medium-sized enterprise that designs and builds hybrid-powered uncrewed aircraft, has opened a new £4 million ($5.4 million) investment round as it moves toward final development and industrialization of its heavy-lift HYDRA-400 platform.
According to the company, the funding will be used to complete the last phase of research and development and to prepare the HYDRA-400 for mass production. The aircraft is described as a portable, multi-role platform capable of lifting a payload of up to 400 kilograms, placing it at the upper end of the uncrewed logistics and lift category.
As noted by the company, the HYDRA-400 is the result of five years of development that included multiple prototype iterations and engineering work on a proprietary hybrid electric-jet propulsion system. Hydra Drones said the program required overcoming challenges in both hardware and software integration to reach its current stage.
“After five years of relentless R&D, engineering breakthroughs and multiple prototype iterations, Hybrid Drones Limited (HYDRA) is entering the final stretch of development for our flagship platform – the HYDRA-400,” the company said in a statement.
Hydra Drones said the new funding round is aimed at completing development and scaling production capacity. “Now, we’re raising £4m to complete the final R&D phase and prepare the HYDRA-400 for industrialisation and mass production,” the company added.
Commercial interest in the program is already developing. According to the company, existing strategic investors include MBDA, and potential applications for the platform range from defense and humanitarian aid to logistics, energy, construction, and emergency response.
In April, Calibre Defence reported that MBDA had invested in Hydra Drones, citing a press release dated April 28. With that investment, MBDA became a shareholder in Hydra Drones Ltd, and the two companies agreed to continue joint development of the HYDRA-400 through their existing partnership.
The cooperation builds on earlier work between the companies, including a display at the DSEI 2023 defense exhibition. That display showed the HYDRA-400 fitted with a mockup of three Brimstone missiles, a 50-kilogram anti-armor weapon developed by MBDA. According to the press release, the partnership will continue the integration of MBDA effectors onto the HYDRA-400 platform.
“Our original collaboration with MBDA was a great validation of our agile and innovative technological approach, this further investment in our business means more than just financial backing,” said Dr. Stephen Prior, chief executive of Hybrid Drones Ltd. “It allows us to meaningfully contribute to national defence capabilities while keeping our high-skilled workforce local.”
Dr. Prior also highlighted the role of government-industry cooperation. “We owe a great deal to the Army’s Land Industrial Strategy for our successful collaboration with MBDA,” he said. “Long-term collaboration between the Army and industry is vital to the work we do, and as a home-grown UK SME.”