UK Town’s Heritage and Strategic Location Attract Drone Companies
Ongoing conflict in Europe, combined with rapid technological progress, has driven increased demand for new defense capabilities, especially drones. Against this backdrop, a number of drone and defense technology firms, including Stark, Tekever, Flyby, and Munin Dynamics, have expanded their presence, with Swindon emerging as a location for new UK operations.
Will Stone, British Labour Party politician and MP for Swindon North and a former rifleman in the British Army, has actively encouraged defense businesses to settle in the town, calling Swindon an “easy sell.” Having met over 100 defense companies since his election in 2024, Stone aims to make Swindon the UK’s leading drone manufacturing hub. He highlights the town’s excellent strategic location, affordable land for employment, and a skilled workforce as major advantages.
Swindon is well-connected by railway to London and the M4 motorway, plus it offers ample industrial space. The closure of Honda’s local factory means there’s now an available pool of skilled workers. With a long history of industry dating back to its railway era, Swindon maintains significant industrial capacity. “We’re gritty working people,” Stone remarked.
In addition to Swindon’s established base of engineering and technical talent, the town benefits from its location within Wiltshire, which places it within reasonable traveling distance of major defense assets such as the Salisbury Plain Training Area. Salisbury Plain is the UK’s largest military training ground, covering approximately 390 km² (150 square miles), and its presence in the region contributes to opportunities for defense-related research, collaboration and testing for suitable startups.
Berlin-based defense tech startup and drone manufacturer, Stark, inaugurated a 40,000ft² drone manufacturing facility in Swindon in November 2025, marking its first production site outside of Germany. The factory is expected to be fully operational by 2026 and to create more than 100 jobs including software, electronics, and aerospace engineering.
Stark UK Managing Director, Mike Armstrong, said: “We are delighted to be opening our first factory in the UK, which will strengthen European supply chains, boost UK sovereign defense production, and support the shift toward affordable, scalable autonomous systems.” Armstrong added: “With over a century of advanced manufacturing heritage and the presence of Army HQ and Air Command, Swindon is the ideal place to build the next generation of AI-enabled systems, shaped directly by feedback from operators in Ukraine. I’ve absolutely no doubt that Swindon is the number one place right now in Britain for a defense contractor to set up shop.”
According to Armstrong, the Swindon drone factory marks the beginning of the company’s investment journey in the UK and will provide support to the UK’s MoD, Ukraine, and other European partners.
Tekever, based in Portugal and the UK, is another drone company that has opened a new drone facility in Swindon. Located in the Spectrum Building, designed by Sir Norman Foster and featured in a James Bond film, the site, previously occupied by Renault until 2001, will produce Tekever’s largest drones in the UK and increase production of another model. This is Tekever’s fourth UK location and the largest drone production facility in the UK.
Opening in 2026, the new 254,000 sq ft site is expected to create approximately 1,000 skilled jobs to handle prototyping, manufacturing, and research - introducing AR5 drone production to the UK and expanding work on the AR3 platform for the Royal Air Force. Local flight validation will be handled in nearby Wroughton. Tekever Defense Unit Head Karl Brew said the company is proud to contribute to the economic development of a town “with a strong manufacturing heritage and capability for much more.”
Swindon is yet poised to see further defense tech growth. In September 2025, Flyby, a leading British VTOL drone company, announced plans to establish operations in Swindon. Flyby reportedly chose Swindon for its growing drone expertise, which benefits projects like its new Jackal drone. Furthermore, according to CEO Jon Parker, the town is “on a new trajectory and Flyby wants to be a significant part of that.”
Flyby’s arrival will mark another step for Swindon’s manufacturing sector and MP Stone’s vision to create a thriving local drone cluster and high-skilled jobs. Alistair Carns, Minister for Armed Forces, remarked that Swindon offers a strong ecosystem for defense companies and emphasized the importance of increased defense spending. Nationwide, one in sixty jobs in the UK is tied to defense, which remains crucial as warfare evolves.