Swindon's drone industry grows with Icomat's new facility

Icomat aims to boost the town's burgeoning defence and manufacturing sector

Author: Oliver MorganPublished 13th Mar 2026

Icomat has announced it will be opening a new facility known as Factory II at the former Retrac site in Kembrey Park, Swindon.

The UK-based advanced composites manufacturer is the latest in a series of companies to set up operations in Swindon's growing drone industry.

Will Stone, MP for Swindon North, emphasised the significance of Icomat's expansion to the area.

Stone said, "World-leading defence and advanced composites manufacturer iCOMAT is expanding to Swindon, delivering a significant boost to our growing defence and advanced manufacturing sector."

The company is well-known for producing high-rate curved fibre composites vital for the drone supply chain in the region, according to Stone.

Highlighting his ambition for Swindon, Stone said, "I’ve been clear about my ambition to position Swindon as the UK’s drone manufacturing hub. Building strong, resilient supply chains is critical to that mission and iCOMAT has a huge role to play."

He added, "I’m proud that, working alongside the council’s inward investment team, we’ve secured a world-class company that will bring high-skill, well-paid jobs and help shape Swindon’s future."

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