The Ministry of Defence said new Skyhammer interceptor missiles and launchers made by Cambridge Aerospace were successfully tested in Jordan, giving the UK and regional partners an additional option against drone attacks. The trial took place as Defence Minister Luke Pollard visited Kuwait and Jordan for talks on regional security and defence cooperation. In policy terms, the announcement brings together three strands of current defence work: urgent counter-drone procurement for UK forces, closer operational coordination with Gulf partners, and a more active government role in backing exports to the region.
According to the Ministry of Defence, Skyhammer is designed to defeat Shahed-style attack drones and will be supplied to the UK Armed Forces under a multi-million-pound contract signed less than two weeks before the trial. The department said the missile has a range of 30km and a top speed of 700km/h. This matters because the system sits in the space between low-cost mass drone attacks and more expensive air defence interceptors. A successful desert trial in Jordan also gives the programme an early operating record in conditions similar to those faced by UK forces and partners in the region.
The test was carried out at one of Deep Element's defence development facilities in Jordan. The Ministry of Defence said Pollard observed the firing and presented it as an example of faster industrial delivery, with lessons drawn from the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. For Whitehall, the point is not only the missile itself but the timetable. The department is signalling that newer suppliers can move from contract award to live testing and initial delivery quickly when an operational requirement is clear.
During the visit, Pollard held discussions in Kuwait and Jordan on the regional security picture, including the Strait of Hormuz, and on wider defence cooperation. The Ministry of Defence said he thanked partner forces and UK personnel who had helped defend skies in the region during Iranian missile and drone attacks before the current ceasefire, including efforts to protect civilians and foreign nationals, among them British nationals. That places Skyhammer within a broader UK posture in the Gulf: not a stand-alone procurement story, but part of ongoing reassurance activity with states that host British personnel, operate with UK systems and rely on rapid coordination during periods of escalation.
In Kuwait, Pollard met the Defence Minister, Sheikh Abdullah Ali Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, and other senior officials. According to the Ministry of Defence, he recognised the work of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces and British personnel in protecting civilians and critical national infrastructure during the recent missile and drone campaign. The department also pointed to Rapid Sentry, a ground-based air defence missile system, and the ORCUS system, which are operated by UK personnel in Kuwait to detect drones early and respond. In plain English, the practical point is that the UK is already embedded in regional air defence activity, and the new interceptor is being introduced into an existing operating framework rather than from a standing start.
In Jordan, Pollard met Major General Yousef Alhnaity, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Ministry of Defence described the UK-Jordan relationship as a long-standing defence partnership built on shared security interests, and noted that before the ceasefire UK jets had flown defensive missions in the region, including over Jordan, to protect British interests and support partners. For Jordan, the trial shows access to British-developed counter-drone capability under local conditions. For the UK, it shows that testing, diplomacy and operational presence are being run together rather than as separate strands of policy.
The industrial message was also central. Cambridge Aerospace, a veteran-led UK start-up, has secured a multi-million-pound Ministry of Defence contract that the government said will create more than 50 jobs and support 125 existing roles. Ministers are presenting that as evidence that defence orders can strengthen domestic manufacturing and specialist engineering capacity. The government has linked this to what it describes as the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War, taking spending to 2.6% of GDP from 2027. In that context, Skyhammer is being used as an example of quicker procurement from smaller British firms, with implications for both sovereign capability and export sales.
Under the agreement, the first tranche of Skyhammer missiles and launchers is due in May, with further deliveries scheduled within the first six months. Alongside the procurement, the Ministry of Defence said the National Armaments Director Group is working to speed financing and export licensing for Gulf partners. A new task force inside the NAD Group has been created to coordinate support across government for partners across the Middle East that are working with UK industry. Its remit also includes managing conflict-related pressure on the UK defence supply chain and identifying replenishment needs. In practical terms, that points to a more active model in which government is trying to clear export bottlenecks, protect production capacity and align UK stocks with regional demand.