Plan for £24m drone-busting missile factory lodged
The firm behind the plans says it is looking to invest around £24m in the Scottow facility.
Plan submitted for £24m drone-interceptor missile factory
Missiles designed to bring down military drones could be manufactured and tested at a former airbase in rural Norfolk.
Cambridge Aerospace, founded two years ago and already reported to be worth $3.4bn (£2.51bn), has a contract to provide the Ministry of Defence (MoD) with "Skyhammer" missiles.
The company wants to enlarge its operations at Scottow, the former RAF Coltishall site, which shut in 2006.
It said the plans would require about £24m of investment, and it has submitted an application to North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) for planning permission.
The MoD has called the Skyhammer missile a "cost-effective air defence solution".
Founded in 2024, Cambridge Aerospace says its mission is "to eliminate the risk of existential war in Europe".
Its website says it is developing "low cost interceptors" to tackle everything from flying drones to "ballistic missiles capable of ending the world as we know it".
The company has seen a swift rise, securing a contract.
Skyhammer missiles are said to have a top speed of 700 km/h (435 mph) and a range of 30km (19 miles).
They could be used against weapons such as Iranian "Shahed" drones, which Russia has also deployed in its war against Ukraine.
Last month, Cambridge Aerospace said that after drawing in a further $300m of investment, the business was now valued at $3.4bn - and it had plans to expand.
Speaking to the BBC at the time, company founder Prof Steven Barrett said the firm was aiming to produce 2,500 missiles a month "in the first part of next year".
"To give you some context, if you take Patriot interceptors, something like only 10,000 in history have ever been built," he added.
"So producing larger numbers of interceptors will make a really significant difference to the defence of the UK and our allies."
The firm has three UK sites - Cambridge, near Swindon and at the Scottow Business Park in Norfolk.
Plans filed with NNDC show it wants to construct "a new engine test stand, manufacturing facility and research and development lab".
According to the company's agents Lanpro, the site would be used for the "design and manufacture of high-performance, rapidly deployable air defence systems".
Its planning statement said the firm expected to put £24m into the site, with jobs there potentially rising from 21 to 60.
The council is expected to rule on the plans at a later date.