Ilika plc (LON:IKA), the UK pioneer in solid state battery technology, has announced it has received positive feedback from a UK defence agency on safety tests of its batteries under battlefield conditions, highlighting the potential of the technology for use in high-risk, mission-critical environments where safety is paramount.
In December 2025, Ilika delivered prototypes to customers across multiple industries, including an agency which advises the UK Ministry of Defence. The prototypes were subjected to firing range tests, which showed that:
· A Goliath 10Ah cell could survive a single shot before a thermal event was triggered by a second one
· Low state-of-charge 10Ah Goliath cells did not show a thermal event
· A Goliath cell showed a delayed reaction before entering thermal runaway
· A Goliath cell reached a lower thermal runaway temperature than conventional Nickel Cobalt Aluminium lithium-ion cells
· Despite Goliath 10Ah cells storing 3x the energy of conventional NCA cells being tested under equivalent conditions in the same trial, the Goliath cells had a similar thermal response
This independent validation follows the delivery of Goliath prototypes to multiple customers in December 2025 and supports Ilika’s ongoing engagement with partners evaluating safety‑critical applications. Under certain abuse conditions, conventional lithium-ion batteries can enter a state of thermal runaway, which is a chain reaction in which the battery temperature rises uncontrollably, leading to a fire or explosion.
A power sources subject matter expert for the UK defence agency said: “Ilika’s Goliath cells were screened alongside an extensive range of other battery technologies (both experimental and mature) as part of our work to understand the risk associated with increased electrification, and to understand which battery technologies can offer improved safety over conventional lithium-ion. We would be very interested in evaluating Ilika’s technology further in applications optimised for deployment in defence environments.”
Graeme Purdy, CEO of Ilika, said: “Events in recent months have highlighted that we live in times with a heightened security risk. Mobile energy storage is important for many modern defence applications, including drones, and we are working with experts in the field to identify the most appropriate avenues for commercialising Goliath in this sector, alongside other applications where enhanced safety provides a clear competitive advantage.”
