Sedgefield’s own Kromek, a leading developer of detection technology, has announced a significant new contract win with the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), alongside a series of other orders that collectively amount to £860,000. The majority of this business is set for delivery within the first half of the company’s current financial year, ending 30 April 2026.
The new MoD contract, worth £250,000, comes from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) — a key government body dedicated to pioneering science and technology for defence and security. Over an 18-month period, Kromek will focus on developing innovative ways to improve the detection of biological agents and potential biological incidents, strengthening the UK’s biosecurity capabilities. The project is funded through the UK Government’s Defence and Security Accelerator.
Kromek’s success with this biosecurity contract builds on its existing multi-year collaborations with UK and US government agencies in biological threat detection, underscoring the company’s expanding role in national defence technology.
Additional orders include a $470,000 supply of D5 detectors under an ongoing contract with a US federal entity, as well as three smaller orders totalling £252,000 for D3M detectors destined for first responders and homeland security teams in Japan, Canada, and Bulgaria.
Arnab Basu, chief executive of Kromek, said:
“These latest CBRN detection orders from both public and private sector customers across the UK, US, Japan, Canada, and Bulgaria underscore the global demand for our mission-critical solutions and the broad, growing base of organisations that rely on our technology. We are especially proud to have been awarded a new biosecurity contract by the UK Ministry of Defence, expanding our existing collaboration in nuclear security and reinforcing our position as a trusted partner in national defence. These orders provide increased visibility on our future revenue and reflect the strong momentum building in this segment. We look forward to reporting further progress as we continue to scale and deliver on our strategy.”
Based in Sedgefield, Kromek is the only commercial company worldwide to produce Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT), a key semiconductor material used to create advanced detectors capable of operating at room temperature. These detectors are integral to a wide range of applications including radiation detection in medical, industrial, security, and defence sectors.
The company’s cutting-edge technology helps protect national borders, support emergency responders, and advance research in radiological and biological threat detection. Kromek’s products are used globally, from UK emergency services to US federal agencies (including NASA) and also by international first responders.
Local economic observers see the new contract as a positive boost for the North East technology sector and a sign of growing international demand for home-grown innovation in defence tech.
Kromek’s steady stream of contracts and research grants reflects a company firmly on the rise, with a clear mission to enhance global security through innovative detection solutions.
