The Business Inside the drone war - With CEO of Modini Nick Sharpe
Mar 20, 2026
Oliver Gill, defence and aerospace reporter at The Sunday Times, explains industry shifts and testing challenges. Nick Sharpe, ex-Army and CEO of Modini, outlines rapid drone design, interceptors and export hurdles. They discuss cheap kamikaze drones, countermeasures, autonomy risks and how SMEs are reshaping procurement and manufacturing in modern warfare.
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Economic Asymmetry Makes Drones Game Changers
- Drone warfare is reshaping procurement because cheap, mass-produced drones create economic asymmetry against expensive traditional defences.
- Oliver Gill highlighted a defence secretary watching a missile shoot a drone and realising missiles cost millions while drones cost a few thousand, changing strategic choices.
Seeing GPS Jamming Live At Boscombe Down
- Oliver Gill described Boscombe Down's anechoic 'silent' chamber demonstration where engineers simulated GPS jamming to show how drones can be disabled.
- He watched an engineer spoof GPS signals and explained why jamming and spoofing are central to counter-drone warfare.
How Modini Built A Heavy Lift Drone Then Pivoted Fast
- Nick Sharpe described how Modini won a Royal Navy heavy lift competition with a new 5m quadcopter powered by a jet engine to carry 300kg 75 miles.
- He then recounted pivoting to one-way attack designs, running in-house competitions and building prototypes within weeks.