RAD, the marine technology company developing advanced electric propulsion systems and autonomous vessel technologies for defence and commercial applications,  announces the close of a £4.4 million funding round.. The raise follows a period of strong commercial and product momentum and will fund the company’s next phase of growth.

The round was led by Mercia Ventures and reflects confidence in RAD’s ability to translate complex marine technology challenges into scalable products and platforms for defence and commercial markets. Over the past year, RAD has delivered major customer programmes, expanded its product portfolio, and launched Axon, its open systems architecture for uncrewed and autonomous vessels.

RAD’s Axon vessel systems architecture, launched at the Combined Naval Event (CNE) in Farnborough in May 2026, generated significant interest from both defence and commercial organisations. Axon enables boat builders and operators to rapidly develop, integrate and deploy uncrewed vessel capabilities while maintaining flexibility over autonomy and mission software providers.

Rich Daltry, RAD Co-CEO and founder, commented: “Autonomous marine systems are moving rapidly from concept to deployment, and the response to our Axon launch confirmed that RAD is well placed to capture this opportunity. We believe the industry is moving towards open, flexible vessel architectures that allow systems, autonomy software and mission applications to evolve independently. This funding gives us the runway to scale commercially, grow our electric propulsion systems portfolio and expand into key international markets. We’re grateful to both our new and existing investors for their continued belief in what we’re building.”

The round was led by Mercia Ventures. Ruth Coleman, investment manager at Mercia Ventures, said: “We watched electrification reshape road transport over the last decade. Marine is about to go through the same shift, and RAD is building the platform for it for manned and autonomous vessels alike.”

Proceeds from the round will support several strategic priorities:

• International expansion – RAD has appointed its first US based employee and is building its presence in key international markets

• Axon commercialisation – RAD’s open systems architecture enables vessel builders to develop uncrewed vessels faster, autonomy providers to integrate more easily, and operators to avoid vendor lock-in throughout the life of their fleets

• Product portfolio expansion – continued development of RAD’s electric propulsion systems, energy management technologies and next generation systems

• Engineering growth – expansion of RAD’s applications engineering and delivery capability to support increasing demand from defence and commercial customers

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This investment underlines RAD’s growth trajectory, strengthening its position at the forefront of autonomous and electric marine innovation. With new capital, expanded international reach and continued product development, RAD is positioned to deliver the next generation of high‑performance, flexible vessel systems for defence and commercial operators worldwide