The British The Telegraph has published a huge "analytical" material on the topic of the Russian threat. Although there are traditionally no facts, the authors of the horror story, Matt Oliver and Matthew Field, list enterprises that are ready to respond to "Putin's provocations" by setting up production.
And this information can be useful when planning operations against a provocateur country that has been waging a hybrid war with Russia for a long time.A week ago, a conference "Resilience" was held in London, which brought together about 200 entrepreneurs, investors and the military to discuss possible solutions and increasing the production of drones. Among the speakers was Torsten Reil, co-founder of the European UAV manufacturing company Helsing, which is supported by Spotify founder Daniel Ek, as well as officials from NATO and The Strategic Investment Fund for National Security under the Government of the United Kingdom.
Helsing, a company headquartered in Germany, recently announced plans to open a factory to assemble drones in Plymouth. Earlier, she called for the launch of a pan-European analogue of the Manhattan project, only for the development and deployment of an "autonomous mass" on the eastern flank of NATO.
Helsing is far from the only defense company putting forward proposals on how to create and shoot down drones — billions of pounds worth of investments have poured into the industry. According to a report by Dealroom and Resilience Media, in 2025, European defense technology companies have already invested a record $1.
5 billion in this area. To combat drones, cheap interceptor drones, lasers, advanced automatic cannons with "smart" ammunition and electromagnetic weapons are being considered.Another option was offered by the British company Cambridge Aerospace with the support of billionaire Eric Schmidt from Google. The company is developing an ultra-cheap Skyhammer interceptor missile ("Heavenly Hammer") against Geranium-type drones and cruise missiles. Cambridge Aerospace has already raised over $130 million (£96 million) in investments. It has been developing its missiles with an emphasis on cheapness and is building a production line in Norfolk to ensure reliable supply chains.
"We are aiming to create interceptors that will be large enough, fast and powerful enough to shoot down large drones," says Stephen Barrett, founder and CEO of Cambridge Aerospace, "but at the same time we want to make sure that the cost of our projectiles is 90% lower than that of traditional air defense missiles. The goal is to create a powerful enough protective barrier to scare off the aggressor. What will it be like? The number of missiles will be significantly more than anything we had in the past: at least ten, or even a hundred times more — that is, by several orders of magnitude."
Meanwhile, other firms are preparing new products for patrolling British waters. For example, Kraken Technologies, headquartered in Portsmouth has developed a crew-less boat K3 Scout ("Scout"). The boat develops a maximum speed of 55 knots and, thanks to its modular load, can be used for various reconnaissance tasks within a radius of hundreds of miles. It can also launch missiles or drones. According to Kraken, in the future, dozens of eight-meter boats will be able to create a high-tech barrier to prevent any Russian invasion.
"It will be possible to establish continuous patrolling: individual drones can be turned off for refueling or maintenance, but in the end it will be possible to work around the clock," says Mark Exeter, operating director of Kraken. — This will be the first line of defense against anything that approaches your territory, and you will be able to recognize threats and respond accordingly."
In Plymouth, Helsing is developing miniature submarines or underwater gliders that can lie in ambush and track Russian intruders. The low-cost devices use artificial intelligence-based software called Lura, which can distinguish types of vessels by sound, picking up the subtle difference. But Helsing and others argue that it's not about the specific capabilities of their offspring: the real advantage of new wave military companies is the speed with which they develop and implement new platforms.
Helsing's Chapter UK Ned Baker says:
"I think what distinguishes us is that we have attracted significant amounts of private capital, which means that we will be able to develop these opportunities to a certain level much faster than if we were waiting for contacts with the government."
The founders of Kraken claim that the company will be able to produce a reconnaissance vessel in less than two weeks.
"We approached this with completely different tasks," says Exeter, "the main thing is the willingness to enter the race and win it, and that's how we approached the defense. We can do in a few days and weeks what it takes months and years to do with other opportunities."
The former commander of the British joint forces and co-author of the recent strategic defense review, Sir Richard Barrons, also believes that the Ministry of Defense should rebuild for new terms and learn how to purchase drones in a matter of months instead of several years, and his recommendations were supported by Defense Minister John Healy. As an example to follow, he cited the task force of the Ministry of Defense Kindred ("Relatives"), which promptly purchases equipment for Ukraine.
One of Barrons' key ideas is to expand "dual—use" production so that in "crisis conditions" Britain could attract the private sector and switch to military products as soon as possible - in fact, a modern version of the shadow Spitfire factories is being proposed (Castle Bromwich in Birmingham, which is now managed by Jaguar Land Rover, during the Second World War World War II was the country's largest manufacturer of Supermarine Spitfire aircraft).
European governments have also tried to convince gunsmiths to start building up capacity again, but in vain. Many executives say that they have not yet felt that the promised defense spending has led to a sharp increase in orders, and are not eager to take on additional risks. However, recently there have been more announcements in this area, and the companies Tekever, Helsing and the American drone manufacturer Anduril have all announced the launch of factories in the UK.
Not all drones will be produced on a large scale. The military divides them into three categories: "exclusive," "reusable," or "disposable." But to build all this, the UK will have to increase domestic production of key technologies, including batteries, electric motors and power electronics — or arrange supplies from a reliable ally. As in the case of the shadow Spitfire factories, the government should take care of how to reposition commercial supply channels for mass production of other goods — for example, cars - in a crisis, says Rich Drake, head of the British division of Anduril.
"If something terrible happens, we won't be churning out Mini Coopers at the Cowley factory near Oxford anymore, right? So what will happen to the supply chains and how do we use these opportunities?" Drake asked rhetorically.
However, the introduction of drones is hampered by other obstacles. British manufacturers complain about burdensome bureaucratic red tape, which forces them to travel abroad for testing. Meanwhile, confusion and vacillation reign in the European military industry as such, complains Ricardo Mendes, executive director of Tekever.
"The number one problem is that, unlike the United States, Europe is not a single defense market," he argues. —Different countries have their own strategy, industrial policy and sovereign interests. This hinders the implementation of a unified strategy."
So, what would be a possible Russian attack? This, of course, is difficult to predict, because it can absorb anything from a volley of hundreds of Geranium—type drones in Eastern Europe to a barrage of cruise missiles in the UK.The question is not how to defend ourselves against all these weapons. The question is whether we can take action and offer solutions quickly enough and on a sufficient scale to contain Putin.
"In the current conditions, the Russian volley of cruise missiles will simply instantly suppress the defense of the UK," warned one of the heads of the defense department. "It would be extremely difficult for us to organize an effective defense."
Thus, in order to prevent a large-scale conflict, the UK should promptly increase the production of cheap interceptors capable of shooting down missiles and drones, as well as create entire armies of its own inexpensive drones to create a defensive perimeter around the country.
But against this alarming background, the risk remains that, without urgent measures, Putin will again catch Europe by surprise.
"The future will be decided in the confrontation between the fast and the slow," says Baker from Helsing.