• Swindon & Wiltshire Manufacturing
• Monday November 24 2025

Swindon drone factory to create 100 skilled manufacturing jobs

A new drone manufacturing facility in Swindon will create more than 100 jobs in its first year.

That was the message as the STARK factory threw open its doors to VIPs last week.

The purpose-built 40,000 sq ft factory, which was opened by the Minister for the Armed Forces Al Carns is STARK’s first production site outside Germany.

It will begin manufacturing a range of AI-enabled uncrewed systems in the coming months.

Minister for the Armed Forces, Al Carns MP, said: “This facility is the Strategic Defence Review in action — building UK industrial strength, creating over 100 skilled jobs, and ensuring we can produce the drones and munitions that modern conflict demands.

“One year on, our partnership with Germany through the Trinity House Agreement is already delivering real industrial cooperation and investment at home.

“This site will strengthen supply chains, accelerate innovation, and give the UK and our allies the edge to stay ahead of our adversaries.

The factory will be operational by 2026, where thousands of drones will be manufactured.

The government said the investment will put the UK at an advantage, with STARK systems equipped with UK and European warheads capable of destroying even heavily armoured vehicles, whilst costing a fraction of the price.”

Mike Armstrong, managing director of STARK UK, said: “We are delighted to be opening our first factory in the UK – which will strengthen European supply chains, boost UK sovereign defence production, and support the shift toward affordable, scalable autonomous systems.

“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.

“Our first UK site will create more than 100 highly skilled jobs in its first year and marks just the start of our investment journey in the UK, supporting the MOD, Ukraine and wider European partners.

This new factory opened as figures show government investment in UK defence industries reached £31.7 billion last year, a real-terms increase of six per cent, and follows the launch of the Defence Industrial Strategy which, says the government, will make defence an engine for growth, ensuring investment is felt by communities across the UK through new jobs and rising incomes for working people.

STARK joins, TEKEVER, Flyby Technology and Munin Dynamics who have also announced plans to invest in Swindon in the last six months.

TEKEVER announced in September it would create hundreds of jobs at the iconic Spectrum building and will work with the town’s schools and colleges to nurture local talent as part of a five-year £400 million investment in British drone production and advanced AI warfare capabilities.