The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has chosen Tekever’s AR5 surveillance drones to replace the British Army’s ageing Watchkeeper fleet.
In this connection, the UK Government will invest up to £400m ($532m) over the next ten years to provide the Army with the advanced uncrewed aerial system (UAS) while supporting jobs at Tekever’s UK sites.
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
According to a 25 July announcement from the MoD, the agreement remains subject to final approvals and contract signature.
If confirmed, the AR5 is expected to enter service later this year, with support committed for a minimum of five years and extension options available.
The initial order includes six drones, with plans for up to 24 units to be delivered by 2029.
Tekever will build the spy drone technology at its soon-to-open manufacturing facility in Swindon.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Proven in Ukraine and designed to protect British soldiers globally, we’ve chosen the UK-based Tekever AR5 drone to supply our personnel with kit that will keep them ahead of emerging threats.
“This investment will support our troops on deployment, while driving re-industrialisation and backing British innovation.”
The AR5 is a medium-altitude, medium-endurance fixed-wing UAS measuring 7.3 metres (m) in wingspan and length of 4.0m.
It is capable of carrying up to 50 kilograms of surveillance equipment such as cameras and sensors and can remain airborne for up to 20 hours.
According to Tekever, the aircraft cruises at 100km/h and supports communications connectivity over unlimited range. It can be launched and recovered from unprepared airstrips.
The Watchkeeper drone, which has been in service since 2014, is now nearing the end of its operational lifespan.
The MoD expects AR5’s improved endurance, sensor capability and reliability to support the Army’s surveillance and reconnaissance requirements.
Recently, Tekever signed a memorandum of understanding with composites specialist iCOMAT to explore opportunities for advanced manufacturing collaboration tied to the AR5 project.
The partnership aims to support ongoing production and development for the uncrewed aerial system.
The selection of AR5 comes amid the UK Government commitment to increase spending on drone and autonomous technologies, as outlined in the recent Defence Investment Plan, which allocates £5bn over the next four years for such programmes.
