Frankenburg Technologies is strengthening the UK industrial base for affordable missile production through partnerships with UK defence company BAE Systems and tactical propulsion specialist Roxel UK. The collaborations cover two critical areas of missile technology: warheads and rocket propulsion. BAE Systems’ BlackThorn multi-role modular warhead has been selected for integration into Frankenburg’s compact, mass-manufacturable Mark I air defence missile. The selection follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed in February 2026, under which the companies have been working together on a warhead solution for Mark I. BAE Systems publicly unveiled BlackThorn at Farnborough International Airshow on 21 July. At the same airshow, Frankenburg and Roxel UK agreed to proceed with a five-year Strategic Cooperation Agreement covering covering rocket motor design, development, integration and supply for its current and future missile systems. The companies will assess existing Roxel propulsion solutions and, where required, adapt or develop motors for specific Frankenburg missile programmes. Warheads and rocket motors are among the most technically demanding elements of a missile system. They directly influence effectiveness and flight performance and materially affect cost, manufacturability and supply resilience. Addressing these elements early in development allows missile performance and industrial requirements to be engineered together.
Daniel Hallett, UK Managing Director at Frankenburg Technologies, said:“Frankenburg was founded to bring affordability and scale to missile defence. Propulsion and warheads are critical subsystems, central to missile performance and to our ability to produce reliably at high volume. Working with established UK defence industry partners BAE Systems and Roxel UK helps us deliver affordable missile defence for the UK and its allies quickly, at scale and at a price point that enables mass deployment.”
Scott Jamieson, Managing Director of BAE Systems’ Maritime and Land Defence Solutions, said:“BlackThorn combines decades of expertise in warhead design, energetic materials and fuzing with our proven experience in delivering high-volume munitions to demonstrate a new way of thinking about payloads for a range of platforms that meet the demands of the modern battlefield. This innovation provides an advanced, affordable solution that meets the evolving needs of our customers and delivers multi-role warheads for the next generation of attritable platforms, missiles, autonomous platforms and counter drone capability at pace to stay ahead of emerging threats.”
Adrian Banks, Managing Director of Roxel UK, said:“This agreement reflects our collective ambition to design, develop and produce solid rocket motors to meet the demands of an increasingly challenging sector. Roxel’s strengths in analysis and innovation will support Frankenburg in its aims, as well as provide an ideal application environment for Roxel’s new products such as the HALO family of lightweight, modular, rocket motors.”
BlackThorn brings BAE Systems’ established expertise in warhead design, energetic materials, fuzing and high-volume munitions to Mark I. It was selected for the high performance it provides in a compact form and its suitability for rapid, cost-efficient mass-manufacture. Roxel UK brings extensive solid-propulsion expertise and established capabilities in rocket motor design, manufacturing, integration and testing at its Summerfield site in Worcestershire. The cooperation will allow propulsion performance, production requirements and cost to be considered as part of the overall missile design. The collaborations form part of Frankenburg’s wider development and industrial expansion in the United Kingdom. Frankenburg was recently selected by the UK Ministry of Defence under the Low-Cost Air Defence Effectors programme and plans to establish a UK FieldFoundry production site in 2027. Together, the agreements connect Frankenburg’s affordable, mass-manufacturable missile architecture with established British expertise in two critical subsystem areas. They support the development of a resilient domestic supply chain for future missile production and help expand affordable air defence capacity for the United Kingdom and its allies. Frankenburg’s Mark I is a compact precision-guided air defence missile designed to defeat Class I–III uncrewed aerial systems while reducing short-range intercept costs by more than 10×. Measuring approximately 0.65 metres and weighing under 2 kg, it can be deployed from land, maritime and airborne launch platforms. The system is designed for localised, high-volume production through Frankenburg’s FieldFoundry model.
About Frankenburg Technologies
Frankenburg Technologies is a European defence technology company developing affordable, mass-manufacturable missile systems. The company was founded in 2024 and operates across Europe, including the United Kingdom. Frankenburg’s mission is to equip the free world with the tech to win the war.
About BAE Systems
The company provide some of the world’s most advanced, technology-led defence, aerospace and security solutions, helping customers stay ahead of evolving threats across land, sea, air, cyber and space. We are a skilled workforce of around 110,000 people, working with customers and local partners in more than 40 countries to deliver military capability, protect national security and keep critical information and infrastructure secure.
About Roxel
Roxel is a European leader in tactical propulsion systems. The company designs, develops, and manufactures solid rocket motors for tactical and cruise weapons systems, providing propulsion solutions in a range of land, sea and airborne missile applications. Roxel is a wholly owned subsidiary of MBDA, with operations in the United Kingdom and France. Its Summerfield site in Worcestershire provides the design and manufacture of solid rocket motors, along with motor integration and testing capabilities.
