Case Study
Kraus Hamdani Aerospace: Building Ultra Long-Endurance Drones from the West of Scotland Science Park
Persistent, reliable aerospace technology is becoming essential for airborne operations, whether that’s tackling wildfires or monitoring vast terrain.
Kraus Hamdani Aerospace is meeting that demand.
Founded in 2016 to close a gap in the small uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) market, the company is now growing its UK team from a new base at the West of Scotland Science Park.
Closing the gap in long-endurance flight
Kraus Hamdani Aerospace was founded with a clear vision to meet a need for long-endurance aircraft for critical operations, from defence missions to disaster response.
“When we first started out in the industry, there was a real gap for really persistent aerial platforms, especially in the smaller size of aircraft, where it’s more logistically and operationally feasible,” explains Samuel Tabor, Director of Product Development at Kraus Hamdani Aerospace.
Unlike similar companies, Kraus Hamdani Aerospace takes a fully vertically integrated approach – designing, building, testing and even operating its aircraft in-house.
“Having it all in-house just makes it more efficient. There's less back and forth, fewer places where priorities can get miscommunicated or requirements misunderstood.”
After making a series of smart early engineering decisions, the company has now developed what it says is the longest-endurance small UAS (under 25 kg) in its class, trusted by the US Department of War, allied forces and Fortune 500 energy companies.
Scaling across two continents
Kraus Hamdani Aerospace’s growth has been driven by close teamwork across two continents and a steady run of contract wins.
Headquartered in Kansas, the company operates across two sites: a UK team largely responsible for designing the aircraft, and a US team handling electrical design, flight testing and customer relations.
Sam was the third person to join the team, joining founders Stefan Kraus and Fatema Hamdani. Based in the US at the time, he always planned to return to Scotland.
“I was able to bring on board some people over here I knew were going to be effective.
“The two teams have grown organically on different sides of the pond. But we've got a very close relationship, whether that's Zoom calls throughout the week or exchange visits backwards and forwards.”
Momentum has built steadily since the current platform’s first design in 2020. From 2024, the company began securing significant contracts and putting aircraft into operation for first response, firefighting and military use.
In 2026, it landed substantially larger contracts, providing “a real vote of confidence” and funding for further expansion.
Why the West of Scotland Science Park
Kraus Hamdani Aerospace joined the Park in May 2026, marking the company’s expansion into Europe, where it can better support operations across the UK and the wider European theatre.
Its new home at the Park has allowed the team to carry out more advanced prototyping, testing and manufacturing of its ultra-long-range, ultra-long-endurance K1000ULE aircraft.
“We were looking for something that was the right blend of light industrial/R&D and office space. And we wanted to move relatively quickly on relatively flexible terms.
“West of Scotland Science Park was perfect. It offered the right type of facilities and the right type of companies around us. It’s also a very easy commuting distance from the previous office.”
As well as allowing the team to work more efficiently, the larger footprint gives them space to bring on new staff members.
“We’ve got two positions already identified to add to our current five-person team. So, expansion in the new space has really helped with that.”
Looking ahead: launching new products and defence investments
Long-term, the team is looking to expand its product set.
“Right now, we have one product and we've been successful focusing on that. But there's a lot of space for other products as well in different segments.”
And with the recently launched defence investment plan in the UK, the team is looking to capitalise on this growth potential – and potential within the wider European market.
“We see a lot of growth there and some potential unique requirements within that which might be different from the US. So [our UK base] is going to really allow us to have that focus on both sides of the market.”
The West of Scotland Science Park is proud to support Kraus Hamdani Aerospace as it scales its UK operations and pushes the boundaries of long-endurance flight.
Find out more about Kraus Hamdani Aerospace here: www.khaero.com