British Army to acquire £400 million Tekever AR5 drones, ending Watchkeeper era

The UK Ministry of Defence has signed a contract worth up to £400 million to equip the British Army with Tekever’s AR5 surveillance drones. The system will replace the ageing Watchkeeper fleet that has been in service since 2014.

An initial batch of six fixed‑wing UAVs will be delivered, with a total of up to 24 aircraft expected by 2029. Each AR5 can carry up to 50 kg of cameras, sensors and other intelligence‑gathering equipment and offers significantly longer endurance than its predecessor, providing commanders with real‑time battlefield awareness.

The drones will be built at Tekever’s new manufacturing facility in Swindon, creating and sustaining hundreds of jobs in the UK defence sector. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting quoted that the AR5 is “proven in Ukraine and designed to protect British soldiers globally,” stressing the investment’s role in re‑industrialising Britain and maintaining sovereign capability.

The procurement also reflects lessons learned from the conflict in Ukraine, where the AR5 has been used by Ukrainian forces against Russian aggression.