DEA Aviation Limited, a specialised aerial data-acquisition
company based in Nottinghamshire, has secured Santander UK
funding supported by UK Export Finance.
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DEA has secured a further multi-million pound
incremental tranche package from Santander UK following
support from the UK government's export credit agency.
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Based at Retford Gamston Airport, North Nottinghamshire, DEA
Aviation Limited (DEA) is an established provider of national
and international intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance (ISR) services.
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Over 80% of the group's services remains in export activity –
investment in additional capacity will support this growing
market segment.
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Last year, DEA secured £16.5m in its first tranche of funding
with Santander UK to meet job creation, capacity and
capability objectives, focused primarily on its ISR and
export operations.
DEA has now secured a second round of funding with the support of
UK Export Finance (UKEF), the UK's export credit agency, to
sustain growth in its export and ISR business segments.
DEA is a fast-growing, technology-led provider of specialised
aerial data-acquisition services in the ISR, search and rescue
and aerial mapping sectors. It is frequently relied upon to
provide security services of national importance, demanding
class-leading safety and compliance processes.
In 2024, DEA flew ISR and search and rescue missions for its
major European customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days
of the year. It provided real-time intelligence to support
thousands of events that arose in their border and
illegal-activity protection roles.
Since the initial investment, DEA's workforce has grown by 10%.
It now employs over 220 people worldwide, most of whom are
highly-skilled engineers, pilots, sensor operators, systems
architects and software developers operating from accredited
facilities in Nottinghamshire.
Joanna Allen, CFO of the DEA Group, said:
This new funding package, enabled by UKEF, positions DEA to
continue a strong growth trajectory in its export and ISR
operations internationally as the worldwide demand continues to
mount.
The funding recognises that DEA is a substantial exporter and
will enable the company to continue to build upon the momentum
that we have generated over the course of the past year.
Tim Reid, Chief Executive Officer of UKEF, said:
This announcement of our second Export Development Guarantee for
DEA shows how we can develop longstanding relationships to help
UK businesses scale up. UKEF's support is already helping DEA to
unlock its potential by creating new jobs and growing.
Liz Pickering, Relationship Director, Santander Corporate
and Commercial, added:
We are pleased to have provided DEA Group with an additional
lending package to support the Group's expansion. The funding
will help the business establish itself further as a major
exporter of tech-led aerial data services. We look forward to
continuing working with the DEA team and UKEF.
