Britain’s BAE Systems last Friday said it has acquired Malloy Aeronautics, a developer and manufacturer of a family of heavy lift drones for commercial and military logistics applications.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed but a BAE spokesman told Defense Daily the value was not material and was for less than $126 million.
Malloy is based in Berkshire, United Kingdom, and has about 80 employees. Malloy’s suite of electric uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) currently includes the T80, T150, and T400 drones that can lift to 66 pounds, 150 pounds, and nearly 400 pounds and transport them about 30 to 40 miles.
BAE has been working with Malloy since 2021, working on a new all-electric heavy lift drone, the T-650, which will lift 660 pounds.
“This new step on our journey with BAE Systems will allow us to combine the strengths and vision of a young company with the reach and support of an experienced one, ultimately giving our customers the ability to scale their demands and allow us to deliver innovative new products, including the T-650, at pace,” Oriol Badia, chief operating officer of Malloy, said in a statement.
In 2023, BAE and Malloy also demonstrated the carriage and release of a 440-pound inert Sting Ray training variant torpedo from a T-600 demonstrator drone during NATO’s Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping with Maritime Uncrewed Systems exercise.
The BAE spokesman said that Malloy’s products are in use with customers in the U.K., its allies, and the U.S. Malloy has a presence in the U.S. and works closely with the Department of Defense “where most of the extended testing with customers is done,” Malloy says on its website. Malloy also has a growing presence in Australia.
Malloy will be part of FalconWorks, the research and development arms of BAE Systems’ Air sector. BAE said the acquisition expands its product portfolio with leading solutions.
“Our acquisition of Malloy Aeronautics is part of our ongoing strategy to develop and invest in breakthrough technologies which augment our existing capabilities and provide our customers with the innovation they need in response to evolving requirements,” Simon Barnes, group managing director of BAE’s Air sector, said in a statement.
BAE’s financial adviser on the deal was BDO.