Tekever secures up to €467 million UK Army drone contract

Portuguese defence‑tech company Tekever was selected by the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence to supply its AR5 autonomous drone for the British Army’s Corvus surveillance programme. The contract, valued at up to 400 million pounds (about €467 million) over a ten‑year period, will see the AR5 replace the existing Watchkeeper system and provide continuous 24‑hour reconnaissance with a payload capacity of up to 50 kg of sensors and cameras.

Production will be centred at Tekever’s new facility in Swindon, with additional engineering support in Bristol, Southampton and West Wales. The deal is expected to create and sustain hundreds of highly‑skilled jobs in the UK. Tekever highlights that the AR5 has already accumulated more than 50,000 flight hours in Ukraine since 2022, demonstrating its operational reliability. The drones are slated to enter service later this year, with Tekever providing support for at least five years and options for further extensions.