Flare Bright, a leading innovator in GPS-free navigation technology for uncrewed aircraft, is expanding into Century Court at Westcott, marking a significant milestone in the company's rapid growth.
The drone technology specialist has agreed a 5-year lease on 3,100 sq ft of industrial space with offices, adjacent to its existing premises at Building 436. The company, which moved to Westcott from Cranfield University in 2020, will use the expansion to scale up production as it transitions from pure research and development into commercial product delivery.
Flare Bright initially occupied serviced office space at the park before moving into its bespoke facility at Building 436. The company has now reorganised operations across both buildings, with Building 436 serving as the research, design and administrative hub whilst Century Court houses the expanded workshop, R&D facilities and production space.
Mick Davidson, Product Delivery Manager at Flare Bright, said: "Moving into Century Court allows us to scale at speed. We've pivoted from pure R&D into product, and some of those R&D projects have turned into commercial offerings. The expansion gives us a bigger workshop, maintains our solid R&D footprint, and crucially provides dedicated space for creating products at scale."
The company, which employs just over 30 people on site, plans to recruit additional technicians and sales personnel in the near future as it expands across three distinct business streams.
The first focuses on GPS-free navigation through two products: Intera, a software-based solution, and Tactera, which combines software and hardware. The second stream centres on flight safety through Extera, an independent flight termination system designed for both Ministry of Defence and civil applications. The third, Hangar 6, offers test and evaluation flight operations services to other companies facing similar technical challenges.
"What's phenomenal is that we're taking MOD R&D work and finding it's really powerful in the civil space," Davidson explained. "We're using government defence funding and understanding, then giving it back to the civilian sector that could really benefit from it."
The company is actively engaged with Westcott's thriving drone community, utilising the Drone Test and Development Centre for flight testing across multiple on-site locations. Flare Bright is also collaborating with the Satellite Applications Catapult on a project at Westcott, with an announcement expected later this year.
"Being part of the Space Cluster and the drone community at Westcott has been invaluable," Davidson added. "The collaborative environment here, the testing facilities, and the like-minded businesses make it the ideal location for our continued growth. There are exciting initiatives coming that will strengthen these partnerships even further."
Aman Sharma, Investment Manager at PATRIZIA said: "This is precisely what makes Westcott such an attractive proposition for innovative businesses. We have the space and flexibility to work with companies throughout their lifecycle, from start-up through to significant expansion. We can accommodate their growth as and when they require it.
"Flare Bright is an important member of our Space Cluster community and the ever-growing drone sector at the park. It's particularly exciting to see them transferring cutting-edge defence technology into civil applications where it can have genuine real-world impact."
Flare Bright began operations in Century Court on 1st October, marking the next chapter in a success story that has seen the company secure contracts with leading aerospace firms, the UK Ministry of Defence and the United States Department of Defence since receiving initial funding from the Defence and Security Accelerator in 2021.
The company's innovative approach uses software-enhanced Inertial Navigation Systems and digital twin technology to solve the critical problem of GPS denial during drone operations which is an increasingly prevalent challenge due to adversary action, solar weather and difficult ground conditions.
For more information visit https://www.flarebright.com
