The British Army is to be equipped with Tekever AR5 surveillance drones under an investment of up to £400 million, the Ministry of Defence stated.
The initial order will be for six AR5 drones, with up to 24 delivered by 2029. According to the MOD, the aircraft can carry up to 50kg of surveillance equipment such as cameras and sensors, and offer longer endurance than the systems the Army has used previously, giving commanders real-time intelligence to inform battlefield decisions.
The AR5 has been selected to replace the ageing Watchkeeper drone under a contract worth up to £400 million over the next ten years. The MOD said the aircraft would be built at Tekever’s soon-to-open manufacturing facility in Swindon, and that the full contract would sustain and create hundreds of jobs at the company’s UK sites.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting was quoted in the press release as saying: “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.”
According to the MOD, Watchkeeper has been in service since 2014 and is reaching the end of its operational life, with the AR5 offering improved endurance, sensor capability and reliability. The department said the AR5 has been used by Ukraine’s armed forces on the battlefield during the country’s defence against Russia’s invasion.
Tekever UK’s Managing Director Karl Brew said: “CORVUS represents a major step change in delivering cutting edge autonomy to the British Army. 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 MOD said the capability would begin entering service later this year, with support sustained for at least five years and options to extend.
The AR5 is a fixed-wing tactical uncrewed aircraft built by Tekever, a Portuguese-founded company that has established a growing presence in the UK. The type has been used extensively for maritime surveillance, including under contract to the UK for monitoring small-boat crossings in the English Channel, and has seen operational use in Ukraine.
The decision draws a line under the Watchkeeper programme, a system developed by Thales UK based on an Israeli Elbit design that entered service years late and suffered a series of crashes during testing and operations. The Army confirmed in recent years that it intended to retire the fleet, and the AR5 selection marks the route by which its tactical surveillance capability will now be sustained.
Watchkeeper was one of the first assets to be announced as retired by Healey when Labour came to power. Initially reported as a cut, it then transpired that it wouldn’t be immediate, but would serve on.
Further, at the time, both the MoD and some of the defence commentariat were claiming it had to go as it was no longer survivable on the battlefield.
Can someone explain to me please how this is any different in that regard?
And as usual, the magic number 24, replacing the 40 odd Watchkeeper that survived after all the crashes. Also 24 Nyx, 24 Storm Shroud, wonder why that is?
OT, Watchkeeper training flights were once reported to operate out of Boscombe and from the grass strip at Upavon, using the dedicated airspace set aside for the type. Brize is having it’s runway and taxiways resurfaced, the Atlas and C17 fleet has now moved to Boscombe, again demonstrating the importance of keeping strategic assets like Boscombe Down.