British Army
UK's land warfare service; procuring autonomous drones and ground vehicles via fast-track routes in 2026.
On 16 September, the British Army's Watchkeeper replacement advanced through a Tekever AR5 contract worth up to £400m, with six aircraft due first.
Last refreshed: 1 October 2026 · Appears in 2 active topics
Timeline for British Army
Mentioned in: ARX delivers first GEREONs to Ukraine
Autonomous Systems: Land & SeaUK awards Tekever up to £400m for AR5
Drones: Industry & DefenceMentioned in: GEREON ran six days in the Mojave
Autonomous Systems: Land & SeaMentioned in: Ukraine robot maker doubles its output
Autonomous Systems: Land & SeaMentioned in: ARX and Roboneers build a cross-border robot venture
Autonomous Systems: Land & SeaBackground
The British Army is the United Kingdom's land warfare service. Its current uncrewed procurement spans ground vehicles and the replacement of the Watchkeeper drone fleet, placing autonomous systems within its force-development work. The September AR5 award made the Watchkeeper replacement a defined acquisition programme.
Task Force RAPSTONE provides a faster route for the Army to acquire autonomous systems. In April 2026, RAPSTONE backed the GEREON purchase and a UK production line with Supacat.
The Army's August 2026 Fort Irwin trial showed how that route can connect procurement to field use. British troops operated GEREON vehicles across reconnaissance, electronic warfare, counter-drone, logistics and casualty-evacuation tasks.
The Army replaces Watchkeeper
On 16 September, the Ministry of Defence committed up to £400m for Tekever's AR5, the aircraft selected to replace the British Army's Watchkeeper fleet. Six aircraft form the first delivery, placing the Army at the receiving end of a procurement decision shaped by its need for a successor system.
The route to that award had narrowed by July. Project Corvus received no compliant bids, leaving the ministry to negotiate directly with Tekever on a deal reported at £336m before VAT. For the Army, the outcome turns a replacement requirement into a defined programme after the Watchkeeper era.
RAPSTONE accelerates robot fielding
In April, the British Army used Task Force RAPSTONE to procure ARX Robotics' GEREON uncrewed ground vehicle. The contract supported a £45m UK production line with Supacat and capacity of up to 1,800 vehicles a year, tying the Army's requirements to domestic manufacture.
On 11 August, eight GEREON vehicles worked alongside British troops for six continuous days at Fort Irwin. They performed scouting, electronic warfare, counter-drone tasks, logistics and casualty evacuation. The exercise gave the Army an operational test of the fast-track route, rather than only a factory commitment.
