Why NATO Just Bet $40 Million on This British Aerospace Startup's Jet Engines

Jan de Vries · 2026-07-17

### A $40 Million Bet on the Future of Flight Greenjets, a London-based aerospace technology company, just announced a massive $40 million Series A funding round. This isn't just another startup raise. The round was led by Blossom Capital, with major participation from the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF) and the National Security Strategic Investment Fund (NSSIF). That's right, NATO is putting its money where its mouth is. And for good reason. ### The Problem: Drones Are Getting Faster You've probably heard about drones in modern warfare. But the reality is shifting fast. According to NIF, Russia produced over 50,000 Shahed-class attack drones in 2025 alone. That's up from just 11,000 in 2024. Here's the scary part: newer Shahed variants can reach speeds of over 310 miles per hour. At those speeds, traditional propeller-based interceptors simply can't catch them. Turbojets can, but they take up to two minutes to spool up and have constrained supply chains. That's where Greenjets comes in. ### What Greenjets Actually Does Founded in 2022 by CEO Anmol Manohar and CTO Dr. Guido Monterzino, Greenjets has developed proprietary engine technology that does something unique. It spans from electric ducted fans all the way to geared turbofan engines. The company claims its patented designs increase aircraft safety while reducing the certification burden. In plain English? They're building engines that are: - Quieter - Faster - More efficient - Cheaper to manufacture And they're doing it all on a common technology stack that can be adapted for different applications. ### The Ukraine Effect The company's founders are candid about what's driving their mission. In a joint statement, they said: "When we founded Greenjets, our ambition was to develop the technologies that would shape the future of aviation. The conflict in Ukraine has reinforced just how important those same technologies are in protecting lives, strengthening Europe's resilience and enabling the future of flight." It's a sobering reminder that innovation often accelerates in response to crisis. ### From Development to Production Greenjets isn't just a lab experiment. The company is already under contract across multiple UK and international programs. Technologies are progressing toward demonstration trials with the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) and partners this year. They've expanded their UK facilities from 12,000 to nearly 70,000 square feet. That's a massive jump. And they're on track to grow from 160 to more than 250 employees. The goal? Deliver thousands of systems over the next 12 months. ### Why NATO Invested Patrick Schneider-Sikorsky, Partner at NIF, put it bluntly: "The speed at which the defence and security drone industry is evolving means that propulsion is the constraint that determines whether an interceptor can close the gap on a 310 mph target or vice versa. Greenjets is addressing this at the engine and airframe level." In other words, Greenjets makes the engines that make interceptors fast enough to catch modern drones. Without them, you're stuck with propellers that can't keep up or turbojets that take too long to start. ### The Bigger Picture This funding round is about more than just one company. It signals a shift in how defense and aerospace are thinking about innovation. Instead of relying on traditional defense contractors, organizations like NATO are betting on agile startups that can iterate quickly and manufacture at scale. Greenjets' integrated portfolio spans propulsion systems, aircraft platforms, and launch technologies. All built on a common stack that enables rapid iteration and deployment across multiple applications. ### What's Next The company plans to use this funding to accelerate its transition from development to production. Alongside scaling manufacturing, the investment will accelerate development across its propulsion and AI capabilities. For startups and investors watching from the sidelines, this is a clear signal: defense tech is hot, and the barriers to entry are lower than you might think. If you can solve a real problem for NATO or other allied forces, the funding is there. Greenjets just proved it.