Prismatic Ltd
Table of Contents

⚠ Disclaimer: This entry may be incomplete, out of date, or inaccurate. It is AI-maintained on a best-effort basis. Do not rely on it as a sole source — verify claims independently using the sources listed below.

Summary

Prismatic Ltd is a UK aerospace company, based in Alton, Hampshire, that designs and develops PHASA-35 (Persistent High Altitude Solar Aircraft), a fixed-wing, solar-electric High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) uncrewed aircraft intended as a lower-cost alternative to satellites for surveillance, communications and disaster relief. Prismatic was acquired by BAE Systems in September 2019 and now operates as a subsidiary within BAE Systems’ FalconWorks advanced air research center. In December 2024, PHASA-35 flew for 24 continuous hours, reaching over 66,000 feet, at Spaceport America in New Mexico.

Key Facts

  • Founded: Reportedly formed following QinetiQ’s 2013 sale of the Zephyr HAPS program to Airbus Defence and Space, when a group of Zephyr engineers left to form a rival company; PHASA-35 development began in collaboration with BAE Systems in 2018. Exact incorporation date of Prismatic Ltd not independently confirmed this session.
  • HQ: Alton, Hampshire, UK.
  • Type: Subsidiary of BAE Systems (part of the FalconWorks advanced air research division); acquired September 2019.
  • Status: Active / pre-operational. Targeting limited operational service for military customers from 2026, with potential full entry into service in 2027.
  • Aircraft (PHASA-35): ~150 kg mass, 35-metre wingspan, carbon-fibre monocoque airframe, up to 15 kg payload, operating altitude 50,000–65,000 ft.
  • Flight record: 24 continuous hours, reaching more than 66,000 ft (~20,000 m), demonstrated at Spaceport America, New Mexico, by December 2024.
  • Team size: Approximately 100 people (per CEO Bob Davidson, April 2025).

What It Is / How It Works

PHASA-35 is a fixed-wing, solar-electric HALE UAS with a 35-metre wingspan and a mass of roughly 150 kg, built from advanced carbon-fibre composites to minimize weight. Photovoltaic arrays generate power during the day, which is stored in rechargeable batteries to sustain flight overnight, in principle allowing continuous flight for months at a time without refueling. Its payload — up to 15 kg — is self-contained in a dedicated pod that operates independently of the aircraft’s own systems, and is designed to be swapped for different sensor or communications packages between missions.

The aircraft made its maiden flight in February 2020 at the Woomera Test Range in Australia, developed and flown in under two years with support from the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group. A quarter-scale aerodynamic testbed, Phase-8 (8.75 m wingspan, under 12 kg), is used to validate PHASA-35 avionics and ground control systems at low altitude before committing to stratospheric test flights, and also serves as a crew-training platform.

Prismatic’s engineering roots trace to QinetiQ’s Zephyr program: according to Wikipedia (citing AIN Online), when QinetiQ sold Zephyr to Airbus Defence and Space in 2013, a group of the engineers who had developed Zephyr left to found Prismatic and build a competing aircraft. BAE Systems began collaborating with Prismatic in May 2018 and formally acquired the company in September 2019, after the two firms had already built two full-scale PHASA-35 prototypes together. Prismatic’s CEO, Bob Davidson, has described the company as small (around 100 people) but able to draw on BAE Systems’ broader aerodynamics and engineering resources.

Recent flight trials have focused on demonstrating operational readiness rather than just technical feasibility: an October 2024 stratospheric flight was followed by aircraft turnaround and relaunch preparation in “just three shifts,” and the same flight carried a 10 kg payload positioned toward the front of the aircraft — a first for fixed-wing HAPS, according to Davidson. The company’s newest platform, referred to as “Block 20,” is designed to sustain repeatable 24-hour stratospheric cycles, recharging fully each day, with the ultimate limiting factor on total mission duration being ground-crew staffing rather than the aircraft’s own endurance.

Notable Developments

  • December 2024: PHASA-35 completed a 24-hour flight from Spaceport America, New Mexico, reaching more than 66,000 feet and landing in serviceable condition — ready to fly again within two days. The flight carried an active ISR sensor payload (a software-defined radio) developed by BAE Systems’ Digital Intelligence business, more than double the weight of a previous payload.
  • October 2024: A stratospheric flight demonstrated rapid aircraft turnaround (relaunch prepared in three shifts) and carried a 10 kg point-loaded payload — both cited by Prismatic as significant operational milestones.
  • 2023–2024: Prismatic conducted stratospheric flight trials of its experimental prototype, which it says proved the PHASA-35 concept and aircraft design; completed the build of the next-generation “Block 20 FM3” platform toward the end of 2024.
  • September 2019: BAE Systems completed its acquisition of Prismatic, following a roughly 15-month collaboration that had already produced two full-scale prototype aircraft undergoing integration testing at BAE’s Warton, Lancashire facility.
  • February 2020: PHASA-35 maiden flight at Woomera Test Range, Australia.

Key People

Bob Davidson (Robert Davidson) — Chief Executive Officer, Prismatic Ltd LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-davidson-00b08a24/ Previous roles: Prismatic Ltd (earlier roles before becoming CEO); UK Trade & Investment (UKTI); BAE Systems. ⚑ Overlap: Career includes prior BAE Systems roles in addition to current BAE-subsidiary leadership at Prismatic.

Paul Brooks — Founder and former CEO/Managing Director, Prismatic Ltd (led the company through its founding and the 2019 BAE Systems acquisition) LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/paul-brooks-7770b820 (found via search; not independently fetched this session to confirm this is the same Paul Brooks) Previous roles: Founder and lead of the Zephyr HALE UAV Programme (at QinetiQ, prior to its 2013 sale to Airbus Defence and Space); Director of Earth Observation, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL). ⚑ Overlap: Direct, founding-level overlap with Zephyr/Airbus — per Wikipedia (citing AIN Online), Brooks and other ex-QinetiQ Zephyr engineers left when Airbus acquired the Zephyr program in 2013 and founded Prismatic specifically to build a rival stratospheric aircraft. Prismatic’s engineering, technical and management leadership are described as predominantly ex-QinetiQ Zephyr team members.

People — Last Reviewed: 2026-08-03

Claim Verification

Claim: PHASA-35 flew for 24 continuous hours, reaching more than 66,000 feet, at Spaceport America in December 2024. Status: Verified Supporting sources: Farnham Herald (citing BAE Systems/SWNS); Wikipedia (citing FlightGlobal, 19 December 2024) Refuting/questioning sources: None found Summary: Confirmed by both a fetched local-press report quoting Prismatic CEO Bob Davidson and Wikipedia’s cited FlightGlobal source; details (altitude, duration, rapid turnaround) are consistent across sources.

Claim: BAE Systems acquired Prismatic in September 2019. Status: Verified, with one inconsistency noted Supporting sources: UAS Vision (13 September 2019 press release republication); Stevens & Bolton LLP (law firm that advised on the deal); Wikipedia Refuting/questioning sources: Prismatic’s own website states “BAE Systems completed the acquisition of Prismatic in 2021,” which conflicts with the September 2019 date given by three independent sources (the original 2019 acquisition announcement, the law firm that handled the deal, and Wikipedia). Summary: The weight of contemporaneous evidence (a 2019-dated press release and the advising law firm’s own account) supports a September 2019 acquisition date; Prismatic’s current website copy citing “2021” appears to be an error, possibly conflating the acquisition with a later integration milestone.

Claim: PHASA-35 can potentially remain airborne for up to a year / 12 months. Status: Unverified (stated capability, not demonstrated) Supporting sources: Prismatic’s own website (prismaticltd.co.uk); Wikipedia; UAS Vision 2019 press release Refuting/questioning sources: None found, but no source describes an actual flight anywhere near this duration — the longest demonstrated PHASA-35 flight found in this research is 24 hours. Summary: The 12-month endurance figure is a design potential/aspiration repeated across company and press materials, not a flight-demonstrated result; treat it as a target rather than an achieved capability.

Sources

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