The British Army is rolling out a new generation of surveillance drones, backed by up to £416 million in combined investment, to sharpen intelligence gathering and protect soldiers on the battlefield.
The Ministry of Defence has awarded Tekever a contract worth up to £400 million to bring its AR5 long-endurance drone into service. The AR5 carries up to 50kg of cameras and sensors and will replace the ageing Watchkeeper system, in use since 2014. An initial order of six aircraft will rise to 24 by 2029, built at a new Tekever factory in Swindon. Ukraine has already deployed the AR5 against Russian forces.
Alongside this, a separate £16 million deal delivers more than 1,025 smaller drones from three UK small and medium-sized firms. Evolve Dynamics is supplying 245 FOXE-NATO drones, which weigh under 250g and carry infrared cameras for night operations. Marlborough Communications Limited is providing 670 Skydio X10 INTL drones, capable of flight within a minute and speeds up to 45mph. Brigantes Consulting and Harmattan AI are delivering 110 SONORA training drones.
Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard MP unveiled the programmes at the Defence Vehicle Dynamics exhibition, the UK’s biennial land warfare event. He commented that the investment gives troops “eyes on the enemy” while improving commanders’ battlefield intelligence.
The contracts form part of the Defence Investment Plan’s commitment to next-generation uncrewed aerial systems and support Project Rapstone, the Army’s drive to double its fighting power by 2027. The Tekever deal alone is expected to sustain over 1,000 skilled UK jobs by 2030, according to the Ministry of Defence.
Learn more on the UK MoD website












