Arondite announces plan to invest £100 million in the UK

The UK defence tech company Arondite opened its new office in London last night, and with it announced plans to invest £100 million (approx. $134.8 million/€115.3 million) into its UK operations over the next five years. 

Speaking at the event, founder Will Blyth said, “When it comes to the rapid changes underway in the fields of AI and autonomous systems, it’s vital that the UK is able to adapt fast and lead the way. We’re proud to work with the Ministry of Defence to help them do exactly this so that our Armed Forces are ready for any challenge they may face in the years ahead.”

Arondite has secured support from the UK MoD and will invest in the following core capabilities, according to a September 4 press release:

• Research & development in Defence AI, autonomous systems interoperability and human-machine teaming.
• Defence technology development to move breakthroughs from lab to the frontline faster.
• UK jobs and skills, building a talent pipeline in software, AI research, robotics and systems engineering.
• SME ecosystem initiatives enabling more rapid capability integration and testing across UK and European platforms and sensors.

The company announced that it had secured £8.97 million ($12.25 million/€10.59 million) in seed, and pre-seed funding in May this year. Arondite secured that funding to invest in its UK team, specifically supporting an increase in the company’s engineering team and accelerate product development while expanding pilot deployments with defence and critical infrastructure partners. The company will also continue its development of AI-enabled capabilities that will support human-machine teaming.

Recruitment has been a priority for founders Will and Rob Underhill (CEO and CTO respectively). “We are looking for people that see an opportunity to make things better, and take it without waiting to be told to,” Will explained during his speech at the office opening. With that in mind, Arondite aims to have tripled its headcount during 2025, and plans to triple it again in 2026. If successful, this will mean a staff of around 100 by the end of 2026. Arondite is also fostering relationships with UK universities to help promising graduates find careers in the UK’s defence technology sector. 

“Arondite’s expansion represents exactly the kind of British innovation and entrepreneurship that exemplifies Defence as an engine for growth – combining cutting-edge AI technology with job creation and sovereign capability development,” Alistair Carns, Minister for Veterans and People, said at the launch event. He went on to emphasise the Labour Party’s intent to continue backing companies like Arondite to “scale-up, create careers, and keep our nation secure in an increasingly complex world.” 

Calibre comment

The Labour Government has clearly communicated its intent to work with British SMEs and defence companies, with a focus on developing and nurturing British talent. This is no doubt a welcome signal for many in the UK’s defence ecosystem, as it is sometimes felt that procurements are awarded to US companies so that the UK can match the capabilities of its biggest partner. However, the UK ecosystem is going from strength to strength, with new companies being established and building new products that answer many of the UK MoD’s stated challenges just a few miles from the organisation’s main building. 

Arondite also appears to be well-positioned to meet some of the more ambitious goals set by the UK’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR). Specifically, the SDR committed the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force to developing hybrid capabilities, with a greater number of uncrewed and autonomous systems making up their combat strength. The British Army has already committed itself to generating 40% of its combat power through attritable, uncrewed systems. This is all well and good; the technology needed to make autonomous systems a reality is finally maturing to the point where it makes sense to pursue them. But the key is the ability to control and deploy them at scale, which is where Arondite’s product, Cobalt, comes in. It is described as “providing the connective tissue” between autonomous systems, allowing one user to operate several platforms in different domains simultaneously. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on September 5, 2025. The lead image shows Alistair Carns, Minister for Veterans and People, MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, and former Royal Marine, speaking at Arondite’s launch of its new office in London. Credit: Arondite.