This year, Model Products Ltd unveiled a striking scale model of SEA’s award-winning Ancilia countermeasure system—recently showcased at the prestigious DALO Industry Days in Denmark—underscoring how replica defence models are critical tools in stakeholder communication, training, and global exhibitions.
What Is Ancilia? – Advanced Naval Defence Explained
Designed by SEA (a Cohort plc company), Ancilia is a state-of-the-art countermeasure system developed to shield naval platforms against advanced missile threats. Introduced at DSEI 2023, Ancilia was developed in response to evolving global security threats, providing navies with rapid, intelligent protection against guided munitions and airborne missiles.
At the heart of Ancilia’s capabilities lies its trainable twin 12-barrel launcher. This decoy-agnostic system can accommodate a variety of countermeasure types, making it both versatile and scalable. With a ±160° rotational range and 0–90° elevation capability, the system can quickly track and launch countermeasures to intercept threats before they reach their target.
In 2024, the UK Ministry of Defence selected Ancilia for a £135 million contract to equip Royal Navy ships, replacing the ageing Seagnat systems. By mid-2025, SEA’s innovative work on the Ancilia system was formally recognised with the Innovation & Technology Award at the North Devon Business Awards, cementing its reputation as one of the UK’s most forward-thinking defence solutions.
Designing the Model: From High-Tech Launchers to High-Fidelity Replica
To visualise Ancilia’s unique operational features, Model Products Ltd crafted a high-fidelity replica model to support SEA’s promotional, educational, and strategic engagement efforts. The 2025 model captures Ancilia’s imposing structure and agile capabilities in miniature, providing a tangible experience for defence professionals, stakeholders, and government officials.
Engineered with meticulous attention to scale and detail, the model features true-to-life proportions and accurately replicates the distinctive geometry of the twin launchers. Every surface, component, and form was carefully recreated using high-grade materials, ensuring that the replica maintains the physical integrity and aesthetic of the real-world system.
This isn’t merely a display piece—it’s a functional communication asset. For instance, the model includes rotating launcher components, allowing users to simulate traversal and elevation, thereby demonstrating Ancilia’s responsiveness to threats from any direction.
Such modelling precision required extensive collaboration with SEA, involving detailed schematics, CAD models, and photographic references to ensure authenticity.
DALO Industry Days 2025: A Premier Platform for Innovation
This August, the Ancilia replica debuted at DALO Industry Days 2025, held in Ballerup, Denmark. Organised by the Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO), the event has grown into Northern Europe’s largest defence exhibition, hosting more than 600 exhibitors and over 12,000 defence professionals from across the globe.
The presence of the Ancilia model at this influential event proved a strategic asset. Visitors could explore the system’s core functionality up close, ask technical questions, and fully appreciate its engineering without relying solely on digital simulations or abstract diagrams. It brought clarity to complexity.
Not only did the model draw significant interest from military procurement teams and international stakeholders, but it also complemented SEA’s wider product presentation—reinforcing their position as leaders in modular naval protection.
DSA 2024: A Strategic Early Showcase
Even before the DALO appearance, the Ancilia model (and full-scale system concept) made waves at DSA 2024 in Malaysia. SEA first displayed the Ancilia decoy launcher at their booth, emphasising its rapid-response capabilities against modern threats like hypersonic missiles.
This early exposure helped position Ancilia as a standout innovation in global naval forums, setting the stage for the full effect of the model’s later European launch.
Why the Ancilia Model Matters in Defence Outreach
In an industry driven by precision and performance, replica defence models serve a purpose beyond aesthetics. They offer an engaging way to explain mission-critical systems to a diverse audience—whether military officers, policymakers, or potential customers.
With technologies like Ancilia involving a blend of AI, sensors, and mechanical sophistication, a physical model enables instant comprehension. It helps visualise how the system interacts with its environment and responds dynamically to threats.
Additionally, models are irreplaceable during exhibitions and live events. They encourage hands-on exploration, stimulate conversations, and deliver persuasive impact during stakeholder meetings. For SEA, the Ancilia model bridges the gap between data-heavy presentations and memorable storytelling.
Real-World Impact: Exhibitions, Networking, and Awareness
Following its recent showcase in Denmark, the Ancilia model has become a standout exhibit in SEA’s toolkit. At DALO, it served as both a conversation starter and a focal point for SEA’s stand, illustrating the company’s engineering capability with immediacy and visual impact.
In today’s defence marketing landscape, such models serve multiple roles:
- Sales Tool: Demonstrates functionality in a compact, transportable form.
- Training Aid: Helps new operators and engineers familiarise themselves with system layout and mechanics.
- Public Relations Asset: Makes abstract or digital products feel real and trustworthy to public and institutional audiences.
Furthermore, the presence of a physical, dynamic scale model speaks volumes about a company’s commitment to transparency, communication, and collaboration.
The Ancilia scale model, developed by Model Products Ltd in 2025, represents more than a miniature—it is a testament to visionary craftsmanship, engineering fidelity, and modern defence communication. With its recent debut at DALO Industry Days, the model has already begun transforming how stakeholders engage with complex countermeasure systems.
As Ancilia moves into wider operational use within the Royal Navy and potentially beyond, its scaled-down twin will continue travelling, explaining, and impressing—one showcase at a time.
FAQ
What is the Ancilia system and how does it work?
Ancilia is a naval countermeasure system that detects incoming missile threats and deploys decoys to divert them, protecting ships from damage. It features trainable launchers with high manoeuvrability and decoy versatility.
Why showcase models at events like DALO Industry Days?
Defence events attract global buyers, operators, and policymakers. Scale models help translate complex defence solutions into visual, easily understandable formats, boosting engagement and comprehension.
What makes a defence model effective?
Accuracy in scale, detail, and interactivity are key. The best models replicate not only the appearance but also some movement or functionality of the original system.
Who uses defence models like Ancilia’s?
They’re used by defence contractors, military forces, and OEMs for product demonstrations, training sessions, marketing, and procurement conversations.
Can the model be updated if Ancilia evolves?
Yes. Model Products Ltd’s approach allows for custom updates or modifications to existing models to reflect design changes, ensuring long-term usability.
*Video for informational purpose – model in video is not actual video made by Model Products Ltd
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Author bio for Model Products UK
Model Products Ltd is a UK-based specialist model making company, trusted by leading organisations to turn complex ideas into precise, tangible models that inform, persuade, and inspire. With over 60 years of combined experience in engineering, product design, and model making, the team blends traditional craftsmanship with advanced 3D printing, CNC machining, and modern fabrication techniques to deliver highly detailed, accurate, and durable models. From defence and aerospace to architecture, transport and infrastructure, R&D, agriculture, and commercial sales and marketing, Model Products creates bespoke scale models, working mechanical models, and exhibition display pieces tailored to each client’s objectives. Known for clear communication, rigorous attention to detail, and on-time delivery, the company supports projects at every stage – from early concept visualisation through to stakeholder presentations, training, and live event demonstrations.
By combining precision engineering with creative problem-solving, Model Products Ltd helps organisations de-risk decisions, showcase innovation, and bring complex stories to life in a way that digital visuals alone cannot achieve.