A Cambridge-based UK start-up, founded in 2024, that builds low-cost interceptors designed to shoot down attack drones, including the Skyhammer and Starhammer.
Cambridge Aerospace builds low-cost interceptors that defend against attack drones. Its first product, Skyhammer, is a tube-launched, jet-powered interceptor with a stated range of over 30 km and a speed of about Mach 0.7 (around 700 km/h), aimed at drones such as the Shahed 136. A second product, Starhammer, is a rocket-powered interceptor in development for faster threats such as cruise missiles. A third project, Nightstar, covers solid rocket motors the company plans to make itself. The company says its first flight took place in the first half of 2025, about six weeks after the design left the drawing board.
The company was founded in 2024 according to UK filings. Steven Barrett, an aerospace engineer who has worked at MIT and is a Cambridge University professor, is co-founder and chief executive. Co-founders named in a September 2025 report are Chris Sylvan, formerly of Anduril, and Grant Shapps, a former UK defence secretary. Its stated objective, in Mr Barrett's words, is "to eliminate the risk of drones and missiles to the UK, Europe, and our allies". He stresses keeping costs low so that large numbers can be built.
The company is based in Cambridge, with production in Norfolk, where a rocket-motor facility was also planned, and an office in Germany. In April 2026 the UK Ministry of Defence announced an order of Skyhammer interceptors, and the Defence Secretary described the company as a veteran-founded UK defence start-up. The government statement said the company supports 125 UK jobs and that the order could create up to 50 more. Beauhurst's UK drone list places it in London, so check the registered office if you need an exact site.
On culture, press reports say the company started with about 60 staff, tests its interceptors roughly every week, and says that frequent testing makes manufacturing more efficient. That suggests a fast, hands-on engineering culture, though this comes from outside reporting and the company's own claims, not from a first-party culture page. It works in defence, so some roles may need security checks.
Roles in a company like this include aerodynamicists, propulsion and rocket-motor engineers, radar and electronics engineers, software and guidance engineers, flight-test teams, manufacturing technicians and supply-chain and project staff. Maths, physics, engineering and computing are the natural school subjects. Because this is a defence business, students should consider whether that is a field they want to work in. The company's website is the place to check its current openings.
Website: www.cambridgeaerospace.com
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