NP Aerospace
Armour technology manufacturer and military vehicle integrator serving defence and security customers with personal armour, platform survivability systems, and vehicle systems integration.
- CEO / Founder
- James Kempston
- Team Size
- 201-500
- Stage
- Growth Stage
- Latest Round
- Bootstrapped
- Key Investors
- James Kempston (CEO, sole owner since 2022); PFN Group of Companies (former co-owner 2019-2022); NatWest (debt financing, 2025)
Technology & Products
Key Products
Personal Armour (ballistic helmets, body armour plates, bomb disposal suits, ballistic shields); Platform Survivability (appliqué armour, composite survivability pods, spall liners, military seating); Vehicle Systems (vehicle upgrades, civilian armoured vehicles, through-life support); Engineered Composites (collaborative engineering, digital design, prototyping, tooling)
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Nearly 100 years of expertise in lightweight composite armour and vehicle integration, with end-to-end in-house capabilities from materials development through ballistic testing and through-life support.
How They Differentiate
Only armour manufacturer with both personal armour and full military vehicle integration under one roof; nearly 100 years of materials expertise; in-house ballistic test range; active participant in UK MoD's Project TAMPA for additive manufacturing in defence supply chain.
Market & Competition
Target Customers
Ministries of Defence (UK, Canada, NATO allies), military and law enforcement agencies, defence prime contractors
Industry Verticals
Defence; Law Enforcement; Security; Medical (radiotherapy couch tops); Rail (light rail composites)
Competitors
Point Blank Enterprises; TenCate Advanced Armour; ArmorSource
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
Revenue quadrupled 2021-2025; £50M+ turnover in 2025; 380 employees globally; 18,000+ vehicles supported; 1M+ combat helmets supplied; 300K+ body armour plates supplied
Major Milestones
1926: Founded as part of Courtaulds Group; 1979: Entered defence market with first combat helmet for British Army; 2000: Created world's first single-piece carbon fibre bike frame for Olympic gold; 2006: First Mastiff armoured vehicle delivered to UK MoD; 2018: Acquired from Morgan Advanced Materials via MBO led by James Kempston; 2019: New ownership with PFN Group and James Kempston as CEO; 2022: James Kempston becomes sole owner; 2023: Split into two business units; 2024: Acquired assets of Jankel Armouring Ltd; 2025: Achieved £50M+ turnover, opened new 5.73-acre Coventry facility; 2025: 3D printed 110kg suspension component for Mastiff via Project TAMPA
Notable Customers
UK Ministry of Defence; Canadian Department of National Defence; US Navy; Belgian MOD; Italian Armed Forces; NATO allies; Ukrainian Armed Forces