Infrastructure and SME investment manager Foresight Group (Foresight) has made a £4.75m investment into Callen-Lenz Associates (Callen-Lenz).

The investment will drive growth through the recruitment of additional engineers and sales professionals based in Callen-Lenz’s Wiltshire and Bristol offices, alongside increasing investment in manufacturing facilities and plants.

Callen-Lenz was founded in 2007 by Jonathan Webber, CEO, initially focused on technical consultancy for aviation research and development. The company has developed novel hardware and software products which are sold globally, along with wider design and operational services.

Based near Salisbury, Wiltshire, Callen-Lenz develops, designs and manufactures air vehicles, vehicle components and navigation and communication software for high performance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Callen-Lenz provides a range of UAV products and retains relationships and authorisations with UK and international regulatory bodies.

The global UAV market spend in 2019 was $14 billion, of which $5 billion was spent on civil drones, with forecast growth of 20.5 percent CAGR to 2024. Callen-Lenz’s customers include a number of UK government agencies alongside multinational corporates.

Commenting on the investment, Mr Webber said: “We are delighted to have Foresight Group as our partners. This investment will allow us to accelerate our growth for both the civil and defence sectors, supporting our ongoing development in autonomous systems and wider expansion into international markets.”

Hugh Minnock, senior investment manager at Foresight, added: “We are excited to back the Callen-Lenz team as they build on the significant commercial traction achieved to date. The use of UAVs in place of larger piloted vehicles is well-aligned with Foresight’s mission to invest for a smarter future.”