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May 16thHMS Dragon destroys hard-manoeuvring supersonic missile in Sea Viper test-firing

The Royal Navy's Sea Viper missile system, an integral part of the Type 45 destroyers' air defense, is currently undergoing a significant upgrade. This upgrade, known as "Sea Viper Evolution," will enhance the system's ability to intercept advanced and evolving airborne threats, including anti-ship ballistic missiles. Chemring, a UK-based defence company, is involved in the program, contributing to the development and manufacture of components for the upgraded Sea Viper system.

Totally agree but the sector and in particular Chemring are not bring rated at their 'true' valuations. Given the strength of business, secured contracts, vital defence components and state of world tensions Chemring should be £5+. Unless and until it re-rates it will attract the likes of Bain. Hopefully the current trajectory will continue and Chemring will secure it's independence.

The huge thing that is holding this back is simple

102,927,582 Warrants - £0.01 Exercise Price - 24 Oct 2026

38,117,116 Warrants - £0.03 Exercise Price - 24 Oct 2026

636,986 Warrants - £0.30 Exercise Price - 15 Nov 2024

7,425,000 Warrants - £0.05 Exercise Price - 24 Oct 2026

Lots going on behind the scenes here as I see Bain hovering.

Bain Capital put Chemring in its crosshairs in February with an opening 390 shot. Much confirmed Chemring business and new contracts later, Bain will have reassessed it's proposal and it's next saloon should be imminent. I think 500 will eventually see the BoD to concede but there's time to watch the scene play out. Still very undervalued given Putins evasive stance and increase in national defence spending globally. Solid.

It's just over 2 months since Bain threw its hat into the ring with an opportunistic 390 bid for Chemring. Obviously pushed off the table by the BoD, it retired to consider a better offer. Given all the additional business being picked up by Chemring anyone else believe that a 'sensible' offer is imminent or just me?

Bain Capital bid interest in February was reputed to be around 390 as an opener. That would grossly undervalue Chemring on the back of business to date and 'substantial' new/renewed contracts.

Sky in February said Bain Capital is preparing a second offer, although it is unclear whether it had been submitted to the company's board. That was before all the above so I expect Bain to have rejigged it's offer and be ready to proceed with one at least 25% higher or drop out.

A simulated Red Team cyber security attack would probably have prevented the current M&S outage.

This capability will have escalated in demand as FTSE 100 and 250 firms beef up systems

https://www.qinetiq.com/en/what-we-do/cyber-and-digital-resilience/cyber-services/advanced-red-team-exercising?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwt8zABhDKARIsAHXuD7Z8pkL9g5RIguaLrvSj5Bwby0hTN-aA9ld-MBaYJdBSTkRvBotXiZ4aAtI2EALw_wcB

Interesting to see increasing defence newsflows With regard to recent MoD news regarding Operations Interflex and Highmast.

Qinetiq is not officially listed as a direct participant in Operation Interflex, the UK-led military training initiative for Ukrainian forces. Operation Interflex, launched in June 2022, has trained over 34,000 Ukrainian personnel in the UK as of January 2024 .​

However, QinetiQ plays a significant role in supporting the UK's defence capabilities through its management of the Test, Trials, Training, and Evaluation (T3E) programme under the Long Term Partnering Agreement (LTPA) with the UK Ministry of Defence. This includes operating 16 MOD land, sea, and air ranges, providing specialist test facilities, and delivering technical expertise and support services

QinetiQ is also not officially listed as a participant in Operation Highmast, the company has a history of supporting the Royal Navy through advanced training and technology integration. For instance, QinetiQ has collaborated with Inzpire to deliver exercises like "Sharpshooter," designed to enhance the Royal Navy’s preparedness for evolving surface and aerial threats . Additionally, QinetiQ has supported training exercises with scenario development and electronic warfare threat simulators, contributing to the UK's defence capabilities

The lack of any honesty on behalf of Putin's Easter ceasefire plays strongly into the arguement for increased European defence spending. Qinetiq is always going to be a key player.

I see this system as a must-have border defence across the EzU/Baltic/Russia interface.

Since drone warfare seems to be escalating exponentially and all 'hostile' nations are ramping up production then 10p per shot drone killing looks like a no-brainer compared to missile tech.

If you're building a defense-heavy portfolio with an emphasis on next-gen tech, QinetiQ looks not just solid — but possibly underappreciated before the broader market prices in this strategic shift.

Apologies, didn't pick up that b4 passing on

British soldiers have successfully brought down swarms of drones in Wales using a new UK-made radiofrequency weapon, in what defence officials describe as a landmark step in modernising the country’s air defence capabilities.

The experimental system, known as a Radiofrequency Directed Energy Weapon (RF DEW), uses invisible high-frequency waves to disrupt the internal electronics of airborne threats. During the trials, the Army managed to simultaneously detect, track and neutralise multiple drones in a single engagement.

According to the Ministry of Defence, over 100 drones were neutralised during the series of tests – the largest anti-drone swarm trials the British Army has conducted to date.

With an estimated operating cost of just 10p per shot, the RF DEW offers a low-cost alternative to traditional missile-based systems. Unlike conventional jamming, the system can physically disable targets at ranges of up to one kilometre, making it effective even against hardened or unresponsive drones.

The system was developed by a consortium led by Thales UK as part of ‘Team Hersa’, a collaboration between Defence Equipment & Support and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. The programme has received over £40 million in government investment and supports more than 135 jobs across Northern Ireland and the South East of England.

“This significant experiment exemplifies the strength of British innovation – driven by our home-grown industry, technology firms and scientific talent,” said Defence Procurement Minister Maria Eagle MP. “We continue to strengthen our defence sector, adding more cutting-edge capabilities to keep the UK secure at home and strong abroad.”

Thales UK leads a consortium that includes

Teledyne e2v, and Horiba Mira. This team has been instrumental in developing the Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW), a system designed to disable drones and other electronic threats using high-frequency radio waves. The RFDEW has undergone successful testing by the British Army and represents a significant advancement in cost-effective, high-precision defense technology .​

Additionally, QinetiQ has been working with Team HERSA under the Weapons Sector Research Framework (WSRF) to explore the procurement and application of directed energy weapons for future defense capabilities .​

Therefore, while QinetiQ is not a founding member of Team HERSA, it plays a crucial role as a key industry partner within the consortium led by Thales UK under the Team HERSA initiative.​

Cyber,drone and laser tech will predomin

Certainly would NOT want to be short in the defence sector for next 24 months....

Patience. Qinetiq is vital in this unstable world. China and America at loggerheads...... Taiwan is more vulnerable now than ever. Add in Ukraine and raised Baltic border preparation.....

I'll eat my hat if this isn't a desk clearing exercise prompted by insto pressure as bidders are feeling out their allegiances..... patience before I say told you so.

Like tidying the house for buyers to put in bids