UK startup Isembard is launching a plant in central London that the company claims will become the largest military production facility established in the city since World War II, the Financial Times reports.

According to Isembard CEO Alexander Fitzgerald, the company has built a four-story complex with a total area of 160 thousand square meters on the site of a former tow yard.

It is planned to launch mass production of drones, missile weapons, robotic systems, submarines, and jet engine components there.

The startup's customers already include the American Anduril, the British Babcock International, and the UK Ministry of Defense.

Now experts estimate the market value of Isembard at about $ 500 million. Moreover, the company plans to expand its production network through franchising in the US, France, and Germany, where about 15 partner factories already operate.

Such rapid development of the private military sector is taking place against the backdrop of long-term plans of the UK government, which currently allocates about 2.5% of GDP to defense, but aims to increase these expenses to 3% of GDP in the medium term.