Uplift 360 and Leonardo are partnering to find ways to reuse carbon fibre in defence with the goal of accelerating the reuse of military-grade materials across defence. The collaboration will bring together Leonardo's expertise in defence platforms, certification, testing and regulatory engagement with Uplift360's specialist composite recycling technologies. The partnership is aimed at establishing a circular, UK-based supply of carbon fibre derived from production streams and end-of-life defence assets.
Leonardo will actively work with Uplift360 to support the accreditation of regenerated composites and their incorporation into the supply chain of its UK businesses. This collaboration directly supports the UK's Strategic Defence Review focus on strengthening supply chain resilience.
The partnership with Uplift360 forms part of Leonardo's UK-based SME Collaboration Partner Programme. It follows a successful project recycling an end-of-life Leonardo rotor blade material into a structural drone arm, demonstrating the technical feasibility of repurposing complex aerospace End of Life composites into high-value defence applications using an innovative low energy and low environmental impact recycling process.
Uplift360 plans to scale its technology and operational capability in 2026, with the launch of a pilot facility capable of producing up to seven tonnes of recycled carbon fibre throughput per year.
Professor Simon Harwood, UK Capability Director, Leonardo, said: Our goal is to move beyond traditional end-of-life disposal models and create a genuinely circular approach to defence manufacturing. By combining Leonardo's platform expertise and assurance capability with Uplift360's innovative recycling technology, we can reduce environmental impact, lower lifecycle costs and strengthen the UK's sovereign access to critical materials.
Sam Staincliffe, Chief Executive Officer, Uplift360, said: This partnership demonstrates how advanced recycling technology can deliver both environmental and national resilience benefits. Together with Leonardo UK, we are working to transform end-of-life defence assets into high-performance materials that can be reused across future platforms, supporting a more sustainable and secure UK defence ecosystem.
Source: uk.leonardo.com
