Helsing plans to open a new facility manufacturing its SG-1 Fathom autonomous underwater vehicles in Plymouth following the U.K. Government’s commitment to invest in new defence technologies.
The new factory, to be located in the newly-christened National Centre for Marine Autonomy, is set to open later this year and will see the firm double the size of its U.K. business. Helsing has pledged a £350m U.K. investment in artificial intelligence.
The facility will be producing the firm’s new SG-1 Fathom, a swarm-enabled gliding autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) designed to be deployed at scale to monitor underwater areas and/or critical underwater infrastructure (CUI) in tandem with the firm’s Lura software platform.
Each SG-1 Fathom AUV is just under two metres long and weighs 60kg; it has a cruising speed of between 1-2 knots and can be deployed for up to three months at a time.
U.K. Managing Director at Helsing Ned Baker commented: “Helsing supports the Government’s ambitions for our defences and economy. We are investing in both by opening the first U.K. Resilience Factory and accelerating our £350m commitment.
“We have confidence in the Government’s commitment to new technological solutions for defence. Together, we can attract further private investment, equipping our armed forces and growing the economy.”
A social media post from the firm noted: “Private investment follows public contracts — together we can equip our armed forces and grow our economies.”
The Government’s Defence and Economic Growth Taskforce has recommended developing regional “Defence Growth Deals” to ensure local benefits from the decision to increase defence spending. The 20-member taskforce is made up of government, industry and financial institutions, led by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and co-chaired by the Chancellor and Defence Secretary.
Other recommended steps include establishing a defence SME Hub to provide support to new market entrants and creating a Defence Exports Office in the Ministry of Defence (MoD), as announced in the Strategic Defence Review.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves commented: “A new era of threats demands a new era for defence and security. That’s why we took the decision to prioritise defence spending, increasing it to 2.6% of GDP by April 2027.
“Through this, and the work of the Defence and Economic Growth Taskforce — including Helsing’s welcome announcement of the first UK Resilience Factory — we are securing our nation and unleashing the economic potential in the defence sector.”
- You can read more details on the U.K. Ministry of Defence website and the Helsing website