Flare Bright
Flare Bright is a UK defence-technology company that builds machine-learning-enabled GPS-free navigation (Tactera) and flight termination (Extera) subsystems for unmanned aerial systems, primarily serving defence ministries, defence primes, and certified UAS operators.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersWestcott, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Flare Bright does
Flare Bright Ltd is a UK-based private company, founded in 2015 by Dr. Kelvin Hamilton and Dr. Conrad Rider, that develops machine-learning-enabled flight safety and navigation subsystems for unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Its portfolio centres on two defence-grade core products: Tactera, a strike-grade, GNSS-independent (GPS-free) navigation system designed to operate across all terrain and weather conditions in jammed or denied environments, and Extera, an independent flight termination system with up to 100km range, certified to DO-178C, MOC 2511 and 2512, and IP54. These are complemented by the Hangar 6 services offering — R&D contracts, flight test planning, safety case development, SORA consultancy, and proprietary AI tools SCOPA (rapid validated modelling) and SCORA (automated Specific Operational Risk Assessment generation). An early product, the SnapShot nanodrone (2017), is also part of the portfolio.
The company monetises through a combination of perpetual software licences, hardware sales (Extera units, navigation hardware), and professional services including R&D contracts, flight test assurance, SORA and regulatory consultancy, and onboarding/modeling activities. Go-to-market is predominantly direct enterprise sales to defence ministries and primes (UK MOD, British Army via Anduril UK), supplemented by event-driven engagement at exhibitions such as DSEI and exclusive channel partnerships with FLE Co., Ltd in Japan and ULTRONICS in South Korea for international defence markets. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.
Flare Bright holds ISO 9001:2015 (NQA), Cyber Essentials Plus, and memberships in ADS Group and RTCA, and has progressed its core technology from TRL 4 to TRL 7 between 2022 and 2024. Its disclosed customer base spans UK MOD operations, the British Army (via Anduril UK on Project NYX), QinetiQ under the MOD Long Term Partnering Agreement, and the UKRI Future Flight Programme. The company is headquartered in Westcott (Oxford/Bicester area) with a secondary office in White City, London, and operates with approximately 30 employees.
Flare Bright firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Flare Bright
- Legal name
- Flare Bright Ltd
- Website
- https://flarebright.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Flare Bright is a UK defence-technology company that builds machine-learning-enabled GPS-free navigation (Tactera) and flight termination (Extera) subsystems for unmanned aerial systems, primarily serving defence ministries, defence primes, and certified UAS operators.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Flare Bright industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Drone Navigation and Flight Safety Systems
- NAICS
- Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336413)
- SIC
- Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Aircraft (3721), Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, Nec (3728)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) & Multirotor Drones (IMABAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Military Avionics, Mission Computers & Flight Controls (IMABAMAE), Counter-UAS Detection Sensors & Integrated Sensor Suites (IMABAGAK)
Keywords
Where Flare Bright is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Westcott
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Flare Bright business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Software Licensing: Perpetual, non-exclusive, non-transferable licences for software embedded in hardware or delivered as separate product. Licences are version-specific with additional fees for expanded scope.
- Hardware Sales: Sale of flight termination systems (Extera), navigation hardware, and related aerospace equipment. Hardware titles pass to customer upon full payment.
- Professional Services - R&D Contracts: Research and development consultancy, flight test planning, safety case development, and regulatory compliance services including SORA methods and air regulations.
- Training and Support Services: Technical support, consultancy for health and safety, and training services for UAS flight testing and mission assurance.
- Onboarding Services: Modelling, calibration and other onboarding activities performed by Flarebright as part of product deployment. Additional support beyond quoted time charged at daily rates.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Senior Production Manager Role |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Flare Bright product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Flare Bright builds unmanned aircraft and develops proprietary machine learning-enhanced navigation and flight safety systems for drones operating in GPS-denied or jammed environments. Its primary commercial offerings are Tactera, a GPS-free strike-grade navigation system, and Extera, a DO-178C compliant flight termination system with up to 100km independent communications range. These are complemented by Hangar 6, an end-to-end UAS flight testing and mission assurance service.
Product overview
Flare Bright is a software-focused company specialising in flight safety and GPS-free navigation systems for the aerospace, defence, and urban air mobility sectors. The product portfolio consists of two core hardware/software products: Tactera (GPS-free navigation system) and Extera (flight termination system), both designed for military-spec performance. These are complemented by the Hangar 6 service offering which provides R&D contracts, training, consultancy, and proprietary tools (SCOPA for modelling and SCORA for AI-generated risk assessments). The company also historically developed the SnapShot nanodrone for aerial imaging. All products emphasise resilience, certifiable AI, and compliance with aviation safety standards.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Tactera: GPS-free navigation system for drones providing full stack navigation, all terrain and weather capability, multiple GPS-free methods, and unjammable performance.
- Extera
- Hangar 6
Products and services
- Tactera Strike-grade GPS-free navigation system for unmanned aircraft that delivers full stack navigation across all terrain and weather conditions using multiple GPS-free methods, designed to be unjammable for defence and commercial UAS operators.
- Extera Flight termination system that enhances drone flight safety and expedites regulatory compliance, with fully independent offboard data record, up to 100km range, optional gentle controlled descent, and compliance with DO-178C, MOC 2511 & 2512, and IP54. Targeted at UAS manufacturers and operators needing containment and safety assurance.
- SnapShot Nanodrone designed for aerial imaging and wind measurement applications, developed as an early Flarebright unmanned aircraft product.
- Hangar 6 End-to-end UAS flight testing and mission assurance service offering research and development contracts, training, technical support, and consultancy for flight test planning, safety case development, SORA, air regulations, and Health & Safety, including access to AI-driven SCOPA and SCORA modelling tools.
Quantifiable outcome
- 80% reduction in drone test flight times
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Flare Bright
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Flare Bright technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
Feature5 records
Flare Bright partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- Anduril UKflagshipFlarebright named as key domestic partner for Project NYX, the British Army's autonomous collaborative land platforms programme. Anduril UK was down-selected to build the platforms with Flarebright as domestic SME partner.
- QinetiQcoreMOU signed for Flarebright to join QinetiQ's DroneWorks test capability under updated Long Term Partnering Agreement (LTPA) with MOD. Enables easier and cheaper SME access to UK test and evaluation capabilities.
- FLE Co., LtdcoreJapan-based distributor and integrator specialising in defence, security, and disaster-prevention technologies. Founded by a former Japan Self-Defence Forces officer. Provides nationwide sales execution, technical support, hands-on demonstrations, and training with focus on field practicality and mission readiness.
- ULTRONICScoreLeading supplier of high-performance sensors bridging global manufacturers with South Korea's research institutes, defence industries, and commercial giants. Established partnership to deliver Flarebright's technology to the South-Korean market.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Flare Bright competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- SBG Systems: French manufacturer of high-performance inertial navigation systems and GNSS-denied solutions for UAVs, land, and marine platforms. Closely comparable inertial/INS-based navigation technology to Flarebright's Tactera.
- Septentrio: Belgium-based maker of high-precision GNSS receivers with anti-jamming/anti-spoofing capabilities for UAV and defence applications. Comparable to Flarebright's resilient positioning technology focus.
- Advanced Navigation: Australia-based provider of inertial navigation, GNSS-denied positioning, and AI-driven sensing for autonomous systems. Overlaps directly with Flarebright's Tactera product line across defence and commercial UAS use cases.
- UAV Navigation: Spanish specialist in GNSS-denied / GPS-free navigation and flight control for UAVs. Directly comparable to Flarebright's Tactera offering, serving similar defence and commercial UAS customers with inertial/vision-based navigation.
Broad incumbents
- u-blox: Swiss positioning and wireless communication chip/module vendor serving mass-market UAV and industrial customers. Broader incumbent with overlapping GNSS-denied and resilient positioning R&D.
- Thales Group: Global defence and aerospace prime with strong positioning in UAV navigation, flight safety systems, and air traffic management. Direct overlap with Flarebright's defence avionics and FTS ambitions.
- L3Harris Technologies: Large US defence prime with extensive avionics, navigation, and unmanned systems portfolios (including UAS traffic management). Broad incumbent with capabilities overlapping Flarebright's tactical-grade navigation and FTS.
- Safran Electronics & Defense: Major European defence prime providing inertial navigation, flight controls, and drone systems including Patroller. Wide portfolio incumbent competing with Flarebright's navigation and FTS offerings.
Emerging players
- DroneShield: Australia/US counter-UAS specialist focused on detection, tracking, and defeat of small drones. Adjacent peer operating in the same UAS security and resilience ecosystem that Flarebright's GPS-denied and FTS products address.
Others
- Anduril Industries: US/UK defence technology company building autonomous air, land, and undersea systems. Strategic partner and end-customer for Flarebright (Project NYX) rather than a direct competitor; comparable as a reference architecture buyer of Flarebright-class navigation IP.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Flare Bright social profiles
Digital presenceFlare Bright compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Flare Bright financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Flare Bright leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Flare Bright funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Flare Bright M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Flare Bright
What does Flare Bright do?
Flare Bright builds unmanned aircraft and develops proprietary machine learning-enhanced navigation and flight safety systems for drones operating in GPS-denied or jammed environments. Its primary commercial offerings are Tactera, a GPS-free strike-grade navigation system, and Extera, a DO-178C compliant flight termination system with up to 100km independent communications range. These are complemented by Hangar 6, an end-to-end UAS flight testing and mission assurance service.
Is Flare Bright a public or private company?
Flare Bright is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Flare Bright founded?
Flare Bright was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Flare Bright based?
Flare Bright is headquartered in Westcott, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Flare Bright make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Software Licensing is the primary driver. The others are hardware Sales, professional Services - R&D Contracts, training and Support Services and onboarding Services.
Who are Flare Bright's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are SBG Systems, Septentrio, Advanced Navigation and UAV Navigation. Broad incumbents are u-blox, Thales Group, L3Harris Technologies and Safran Electronics & Defense. DroneShield is listed as an emerging player. Anduril Industries is listed as an others.
Does Flare Bright have an API?
No public API is recorded for Flare Bright.
What industry is Flare Bright in?
Flare Bright's product category is Drone Navigation and Flight Safety Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABAIAA, Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) & Multirotor Drones, with a secondary code of IMABAMAE, Military Avionics, Mission Computers & Flight Controls. Its NAICS code is 334511 and its SIC code is 3812.