Tekever
Portuguese-UK drone unicorn; AR3 ISR in Ukrainian service; £1bn+ UK contracts.
On 16 September, Tekever secured a UK contract worth up to £400m for its AR5 drone, with six aircraft ordered first, widening the Portuguese-UK manufacturer's role in replacing the Army's Watchkeeper fleet.
Last refreshed: 1 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Can Tekever scale its Swindon factory fast enough to fill the £752M Ukraine order?
Timeline for Tekever
Won the Watchkeeper replacement contract
Drones: Industry & Defence: UK awards Tekever up to £400m for AR5Unveiled the AR6 heavy-lift drone and is bidding it into combat autonomy
Drones: Industry & Defence: Tekever climbs weight classes with AR6Mentioned in: Drone Dominance Gauntlet opens 8 June
Drones: Industry & Defencecommitted GBP 400 million five-year UK investment and opened a US office targeting SOCOM
Drones: Industry & Defence: Tekever commits £400M to UK expansionselected for Project NYX Apache loyal-wingman assessment phase
Drones: Industry & Defence: UK launches Apache drone wingman trialBackground
Tekever is a Portuguese-headquartered drone manufacturer with an operational base in the UK. Its core AR3 platform performs intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance work, while the SEAKER variant extends its range into maritime strike. The company has used Ukrainian operations to establish the AR3 as a military system rather than a purely experimental platform.
British defence procurement is central to Tekever's present relevance. On 15 April, the UK named it among the three suppliers in a 120,000-system drone package for Ukraine, placing it in a sustained procurement relationship with the Ministry of Defence.
Tekever matters because it links Portuguese origins, British industrial capacity and operationally tested uncrewed systems. Its position rests on intelligence gathering, production capacity and military procurement, rather than the consumer-drone market. Reporting on 15 April also identified a substantial existing UK contract base and Swindon manufacturing expansion.
Tekever replaces Watchkeeper
On 16 September, the Ministry of Defence awarded Tekever a contract worth up to £400m for its AR5 drone, with six aircraft in the first order. The deal puts Tekever at the centre of replacing the British Army's Watchkeeper fleet.
FlightGlobal reported in July that Project Corvus drew no compliant bids before the ministry negotiated with Tekever alone. That procurement route makes Tekever responsible for converting a negotiated award into a fielded capability, rather than competing for a later production share.
What is the Tekever AR3 drone used for in Ukraine?
How much is the UK paying Tekever for drones?
Where is Tekever's new factory in the UK?
Who owns Tekever and who has invested in it?
What contract did Tekever win to replace Watchkeeper?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 1 October 2026. Editorial standards.