The British Army will field TEKEVER’s AR5 long-endurance surveillance drone under a Ministry of Defence contract worth up to £400 million. The initial order covers six aircraft, with the fleet expected to grow to as many as 24 by 2029 as Project CORVUS replaces the Army’s Watchkeeper surveillance capability.
The AR5 is intended to provide persistent, long-range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance for battlefield use, with a payload capacity of up to 50 kg for cameras and sensors. TEKEVER’s platform has been used in Ukraine since 2022 and has reportedly accumulated more than 50,000 operational flight hours there.
The system is expected to enter British Army service later in 2026. Manufacturing is set to be centred in Swindon, supporting the UK industrial base as the Army moves to a combat-proven uncrewed aircraft for contested and electronic warfare-heavy environments.