Tekever AR5 to equip British Army

The UK Ministry of Defence has invested up to £400 million ($767 million) over the next ten years in the Anglo-Portuguese Tekever AR5 Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) under Project Corvus. The initial order will be for six AR5 drones, with up to 24 delivered by 2029. The UASs will be built in Tekever’s soon to be open Swindon manufacturing facility in England.

The UK MoD says it has chosen the AR5 surveillance UAS to undertake round-the-clock intelligence gathering. It will be able to carry up to 50kg in surveillance equipment, such as cameras and other sensors, and can fly for longer than previous systems the Army has used, giving commanders real-time intelligence to protect troops and inform battlefield decisions.

The Tekever AR3 is already in Royal Air Force service as the Storm Shroud Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP), a CCA-like aircraft designed to interfere with enemy air defence radars.

“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,” said Wes Streeting MP, the UK Defence Secretary. “This investment will support our troops on deployment, while driving re-industrialisation and backing British innovation.”

The Army’s existing Watchkeeper UAS, in service since 2014, is reaching the end of its operational life. The new AR5 offers significantly improved endurance, sensor capability and reliability, ensuring that the Army maintains an edge in surveillance and reconnaissance, says the UK MoD in a statement. The drone has been used by Ukraine’s Armed Forces on the battlefield, as they continue their fight against Russia’s unprovoked invasion.

“Corvus represents a major step change in delivering cutting edge autonomy to the British Army,” said Karl Brew Managing Director of Tekever UK. “This isn’t about a platform, it’s about building and sustaining sovereign capability that stays one step ahead of our adversaries.

“Through Corvus, Tekever aims to create a new type of partnership between government and industry where we will ensure a constant cycle of capability evolution that delivers decisive advantage to our end users.”

Subject to contract signature and final approvals, the new capability will begin entering service this calendar year, with support sustained for at least five years and options to extend.