Neros opens in the UK as countries get serious about sovereign production

Neros Technologies has opened a UK entity, aiming to bring sovereign production of the Archer strike drones to Europe. Countries are beginning to get serious about sovereign production, which means less from China, and less from America.

By Sam Cranny-Evans, editor of Calibre Defence, published on March 6, 2026. 

Neros Technologies has joined the growing roster of foreign companies that have set up shop in the UK. The new entity, Neros Technologies UK Ltd, was set up following the company’s provision of drones to the British MoD. 

The British MoD is a key player in the Drone Capability Coalition, which sources drones for Ukraine. Neros has supported trials and provided drones to the Coalition, the March 3 press release explains. 

• “The Answer is No”: Knighton Admits SDR and Current Programmes Don’t Mix – Calibre Defence 
• Neros closes Series B, secures a big contract as drones dominate – Calibre Defence 
• 4th March – Neros supplies Archer FPV to USMC and Ukraine – Calibre Defence 

The company plans to invest up to £10 million over the next five years and has set its roots down in Swindon. In doing so, it becomes the fifth drone company in the city alongside: 

• Flyby Technology
• Tekever
• Stark
• And Munin Dynamics. 

Neros UK will build the company’s Archer strike FPV in-country. It is one of the few companies that can claim a China-free supply chain – no mean feat given China’s hold over brushless motors. Sovereign production is a growing concern, however, with states realising how dependent they are on US and Chinese companies. 

Time will tell how possible it is to disentangle supply chains from those countries. Europe has made some good steps by supporting TSMC to build a chip fab in Germany, for example. But there is a long way to go before supply chain risk is significantly reduced. 

Calibre comment: The risks of setting up in the UK

Hoping for a boom in orders if the Defence Investment Plan is ever released, many companies have come to the UK. They cover a range of fields from Nurol Makina Systems, which produces protected mobility platforms, through to Tekever, a drone manufacturer. Others include Anduril, Helsing, and Quantum Systems. All are positioning themselves alongside the UK’s traditional primes for a share of the MoD’s budget. 

Successive government policies have encouraged defence companies and their private capital to come to the UK. Most recently, Labour has positioned defence as a driver for economic growth, seeking to make sure the defence budget contributes to the British economy. This has led to consistent language in MoD and company press releases around investment value, job creation, and economic growth. 

However, these ventures – like most – are not without risk. The financial future of British defence is very uncertain. Where most countries have announced increased spending and shortly followed through, the UK is notably silent. 

This should not be surprising. The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) set out more than 60 recommendations without costing them. The government then accepted the recommendations, delaying talk of how they would be funded until the Defence Investment Plan. 

But the MoD was already running an estimated £16.9 billion deficit between its capability requirements and its budget. A charitable estimate indicates that realising the fullest extent of the SDR would cost at least £28.5 billion on top of existing requirements. This represents a big problem for the MoD and a treasury that is stretched and reluctant to borrow more. But it also represents a problem for companies like Neros Technologies, as it is far from guaranteed that being in the UK will lead to a contract. 

The lead image shows a Neros drone in a USMC trial. Credit: USMC.