News / Defence
Bristol-based defence firm wins King’s Award
A Bristol-based defence tech company, with a growing global presence, has been awarded the King’s Award for International Trade.
SEA, which specialises in advanced maritime defence technologies, received the royal seal of approval for its sustained growth and strong export credentials.
The Bristol-based firm, part of Cohort PLC, boasts an extensive history in defence technologies used by the Royal Navy and other international counterparts such as the Royal Canadian Navy.
On the recognition, Richard Flitton, managing director of SEA, said: “Being awarded the King’s Award for International Trade is an honour and a clear recognition of the strength of our export performance and the growing demand for our advanced maritime defence capabilities.
SEA, which specialises in advanced maritime defence technologies, has received the King’s Award for International Trade
“This achievement is a testament to the innovation, drive and expertise of everyone at SEA, and showcases how, from all our sites across the South West, we’re delivering leading defence capabilities across the globe.”
The specialist offerings of the defence firm include anti-submarine warfare (ASW), torpedo defence, naval training and integrated mission systems.
The torpedo launcher systems (TLS), developed by the firm, is used by the Royal Navy. The system can fire multiple lightweight torpedo variants to provide rapid responses to surface and subsurface threats.
This company’s growth, along with key UK contracts such as a £135m contract to provide its Ancilia trainable countermeasures system to the UK Royal Navy, has driven a significant increase of the number of staff of the company.
“This achievement is a testament to the innovation, drive and expertise of everyone at SEA,” said Richard Flitton, managing director of SEA
The business grew by over 100 employees in 2025, and now employs approximately 500 people across its sites in Bristol, Beckington and Barnstaple as well as a wholly owned subsidiary offices in Canada.
Fritton added: “As SEA continues to grow, we’re proud to play a leading part of the Great South West as a centre for defence innovation and exports, supporting skilled jobs, local supply chains and new capability development.”
The torpedo launcher systems (TLS), developed by the firm, is used by the Royal Navy
All photos: SEA
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