An Oxford university spin-off has developed a range of low-cost turbojet engines with the Ministry of Defence to power drones, as the UK seeks to boost its domestic defence capabilities. Technology start-up Alloyed said the engines, which were designed digitally and built using 3D printing, could power everything from small drones to larger aircraft and be produced much faster than conventional turbines. The partnership comes as the UK, along with its European allies, races to boost its homegrown capacity to produce weapons at speed and at scale following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Defence companies have been racing to deliver jet-powered interceptors to help Ukraine and its allies counter Russia’s new high-speed drones, which have rained down on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks. Russia’s jet-powered Geran drones have been able to evade Ukraine’s air defences at a much higher rate than their propeller-driven predecessors. Alloyed chief executive Michael Holmes said: “We and our allies need to give the Ukrainians the means to shoot those things out of the sky, which requires jet turbines.” The company was in touch with “most” well-known drone, missile and interceptor companies, he added.

Holmes said the company’s goal was to “tailor engines to missions much faster”, adding that Alloyed would be able to design and produce new variants in months rather than years. Alloyed’s engines have been built using 3D printing. Alloyed is already manufacturing two engines: a smaller version now in serial production in the UK and a larger engine which progressed from initial concept to flight-ready status in less than seven months.

Founded in 2017 by materials engineers from the university, Alloyed specialises in the design of entirely new lightweight but strong metal alloys. The company builds complex engine parts with powdered metal using 3D printers, helping to drastically reduce development times and costs. Holmes said that while the cost would vary depending on the size of the engine, “as a rule of thumb, we’ll be aiming to be 30 per cent cheaper than what’s on the market at the moment, [and] we will be aiming to be up to 30 per cent more power efficient”.

Alloyed aims to be ‘30% cheaper than what’s on the market at the moment’. The company’s ambition is to manufacture engines for the UK and adopt a franchise model for allies. Under that model, Alloyed would send instructions in digital files on how to design and make the relevant alloys to manufacturers abroad, allowing them to print the parts and engines themselves.

Although the war in Ukraine is driving demand from the military, the engines are also designed to have civilian applications. Current and past customers have included Boeing and BMW, as well as consumer electronics companies developing lightweight augmented-reality glasses. Holmes said the company, which has raised £100mn since 2017, expects to raise more money to fund its expansion plans.

Following its funding round in 2024, Alloyed was valued at between £150mn and £200mn, he added. Its current shareholders include UK investors Oxford Science Enterprises and Aviva Investors as well as Japan’s JX Advanced Metals and the Development Bank of Japan.