The Defence Secretary has announced that Tekever will establish the UK’s largest drone production facility in Swindon, bringing 1,000 highly skilled jobs and positioning the town as a hub for sovereign drone manufacturing.
The 254,000 square foot site is due to open in 2026 and will cover the full production cycle, from prototyping to manufacturing and research. It will bring AR5 drone production to the UK for the first time, while scaling up existing work on the AR3 platform used by the Royal Air Force.
Defence Secretary John Healey described the move as “a clear demonstration that this government is making defence an engine for growth across the UK. Tekever’s expansion will bring high-skilled jobs and world-leading drone manufacturing to Swindon, while strengthening defence supply chains.”
The announcement follows growing government investment in drones and autonomous systems. In May, the RAF committed an additional £19 million to Tekever’s StormShroud AR3 drones, while total UK purchases of Tekever platforms for Ukraine have reached around £270 million since 2022. The drones, supplied directly and through the International Fund for Ukraine, have been used to destroy advanced Russian air defence systems.
Karl Brew, Director of Tekever Defence, said the Swindon site would be central to the company’s £400 million Overmatch programme, adding: “The site will play a central role in the production of our new AR3 EVO system and in creating up to 1,000 highly skilled jobs over the next five years.”
Swindon has historical ties to UK defence manufacturing, having supported production of the Spitfire during the Second World War. The government now sees the new facility as part of a wider strategy to revitalise British defence industry, build resilience in supply chains, and deliver long-term skilled employment across the country.
Very good but I hope they are flexible! We can see how fast drone technology evolves in Ukraine.
The AR5 is a big old Maritime surveillance ISTAR drone, 12 hours endurance 100km hour speed full set of sensors including radar. It’s on the more stable end of the market.
62 mph eh ? Awesome.
On the plus side, at least a Thousand Humans get to make them.
When it’s plodding around the EEZ keeping an eye on a Russian ship it does not need to be speedy.
True, Let’s hope It’s not too late turning up !
That’s why you still need old fashioned old human driven contraption for your more urgent requirements..
Good for Swindon.. AR3 and AR5 drone production in a large factory is a very very good sovereign capability to have.
This government does seem to be able to generate industrial capacity and sovereign capability….
Now it just needs to buy some… AR5 would make a great coast guard as well as EEZ Maritime ITAR capability covering the North Sea infrastructure.
Given how long these deals take to do it was likely started by the last government.
Just as the T26 exports probably go as far back as Ben Wallace – you don’t just wave a cheque book and hope some ships can be magicked!
Not so sure on this one as there is not a dickybird around tekever making this level of investment before. Their only plans have been a could have small scale operations to support RAF procurement. This is new, you cannot even find things like local council consultation etc.
And none of their planning has ever indicated Swindon..
Look back at Ben Wallace’s statements about volume drone production in the UK.
Yes but that is strategic direction, the proof is always in the delivery to be honest and getting a big company to commit to a major factory is all about delivery, most of the work on things like this may have been set well in advance, but the very hard yards is always at the end.. contract signing and commitment come down to details and it’s the details which are difficult.. I’ve created a shit ton of strategic direction work and it’s not that difficult..nailing down provision, getting the details and getting the contract signed is harder work and the stuff you sweat.
We making most for us or Ukraine and as normal the MOD puts spin on that is it for us and our use. Every thing the MOD says is half truths and defection.
Defection ? Crikey, let’s hope the entire MOD doesn’t defect, we’d be right in the poo if that happened.
Well, given they’re doing a better job of screwing us over than most Russian operative could ever dream of, maybe defection wouldn’t be so bad… 🙂
Tekever is a Portuguese company headquartered in Lisbon that manufacture in Portugal, France and the UK. From next year the core production of the AR5s will be brought to the UK. When did Healey claim this was all for our defence? Healey’s main point is about UK industry and growth. Furthermore, the press release is clear about our purchasing for Ukraine as well as for the RAF’s Stormshroud. I don’t get what you are complaining about.
We don’t need a mountain of last year’s drones.
We need a factory churning them out and spiral development of them.
Then send them to battlefield test – then spiral some more.
This is what this is.
Funding Ukraine when we can not even replace ammo we sent or SPG’s that was my point, we fund this and that but hardly ever the run down Army. 14 Wheeled Archers is hardly a great force not even one full Regts worth of guns. Yes many on here will say lets help Ukraine but we gifted kit we have not replaced and still no orders , I am not pro Russian but nor am i pro Ukraine. its drain on the Army and the MOD budget which ever way you dress it up.
Thank you for the clarification. Too big a topic to discuss right now.
Agreed, we gave kit never replaced it, agree with giving it but why still no replacements for any thing? even ammo.
Good news but a pity this isn’t UK founded company. We need to attract foreign orders otherwise it will just be UK money paying into it.
fantastic news.
It’s very interesting just how difficult it seems to practically replace propellers with jets in drones. It’s seems most mission given to drones require very long endurance and not speed and that most of the speedy applications are better done by expendable missiles.
Ultimately anything that is large and fast with a decent range using jets will be expensive and if it’s that expensive you probably want a man in it because drones have a nasty habit of crashing.
Maybe SKYNET won’t take over after all 😀
In HMGs rush to prioritise industry over buying kit, what is our own military getting out of this?
So far, I read Stormshroud numbered 24. Not even window dressing.
There are lots of foreign-owned defence companies in the UK. Why should our military expect to get something for nothing from the latest one? Instead the country will get some jobs and dual-use manufacturing capacity. Both good news. I don’t see it as prioritising industry over UK kit, because it was never a choice between the two.
If MOD wants Tekever drones it’ll have to buy from its stupidly constrained budget, or figure out a private financing scheme that the Treasury will accept. The same choice as before the new factory was announced.
I appreciate there are benefits in terms of economies of scale, but would two £200m factories have been a better option?
I’m not saying it 100% would be, but I’m always concerned about single points of failure / all eggs in one basket.
The international fund for Ukraine will possibly be using interest on frozen assets so Rachel from accounts will be happy about the tax take from the 1000 employees.
VAT on construction materials etc
It won’t replace the upto £50Bn black hole but added together with all the other plants, this will make Rachel quite happy, especially as using other people’s money.