Pupils from St Malachy’s High School compete in London to take home the crown and £10,000 

A team of students from St Malachy’s High School in Castlewellan is celebrating after earning a coveted spot in the national final of the RTX Quadcopter Challenge, an exciting STEM competition that’s inspiring the next generation of innovators and engineers.

Now marking its 10th anniversary, the challenge is the flagship STEM outreach programme from RTX, giving students across the UK the chance to design, build and fly their own quadcopters in a bid to be crowned national champions.

The team  then travelled to London to compete at the Honourable Artillery Company for the chance to be crowned the 2025 Quadcopter Challenge Champion and win £10,000 to support STEM initiatives at their school. 

Andrew Gibbons, Senior Composite Materials & Processes Engineer at Collins Aerospace in Kilkeel said, “This year’s Quadcopter challenge attracted impressive participation with teams demonstrating creativity and ingenuity. I have no doubt that there are more than one or two engineers in their midst. It was obvious that a great deal of time had gone into preparing presentations and Quadcopter designs for test flying.”

The RTX Quadcopter Challenge is an annual competition designed to inspire the next generation of engineers and innovators. Since its launch in 2015, the programme has engaged over 2,000 students from more than 200 schools across the UK. Participants work alongside engineers from across RTX including Collins Aerospace, gaining hands-on experience in design, problem-solving and teamwork.

This year, students from five local schools were challenged to design a quadcopter that embodies community spirit and delivers a positive local impact. The ‘Heat Haze Hero’s’ from St Malachy’s High School rose to the challenge, developing a concept that aims to help quickly locate fire hotspots in the Mourne mountains, help local firefighters and help anyone finding themselves caught in fires in the mountains.

“Our flagship RTX Quadcopter Challenge has supported STEM leaders of tomorrow unlock their passion since 2015,” said Alan Henning, Director of Operations for Commercial Seating at Collins Aerospace. “We are creating pathways for passionate young people to enter the aerospace sector.”

RTX is committed to advancing UK prosperity and fostering innovation in STEM. Through initiatives like the Quadcopter Challenge, the company continues to inspire young minds and support the development of future STEM leaders.