TEKEVER Launches AR6 Autonomous Heavy Lift Drone Family

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Image: Tekever

TEKEVER has unveiled the AR6, a new family of autonomous heavy lift platforms, marking its entry into a market long dominated by short-range electric VTOL drones.

The Portuguese firm, recognised as Europe’s leading ISR platform developer, designed the AR6 to close a persistent capability gap. Existing heavy lift drones typically carry up to 100kg over distances of just 1-5km, as per a recent press statement.

A step-change in range and payload

The AR6 uses hydraulic and propulsion technology to deliver 200kg payloads over 500km. This far exceeds the reach of current electric quadcopter platforms. Engineers built the system to withstand extreme heat and cold while keeping maintenance costs low.

Dual-use applications across sectors

The platform will serve both civil and military customers. Civil applications include logistics, offshore support, medical resupply, search and rescue, and disaster relief. Military uses span casualty evacuation, forward logistics, and combat wingman roles, including the UK’s Apache teaming concept under Project Nyx.

The military variant operates without GNSS reliance. It also features TEKEVER’s Mission Autonomy suite, enabling multi-platform swarming, crewed teaming, and improved survivability. The company drew on lessons from Ukraine and its existing autonomy stack to develop these capabilities.

Ricardo Mendes, CEO of TEKEVER, commented: “AR6 represents the next evolution of our autonomous capability. For years, we’ve helped customers move information. Today, we’re extending that capability to moving what matters most.”

Karl Brew, Head of TEKEVER UK, added: “AR6 expands the envelope, enabling us to leverage all of the experience we have built up in Ukraine and around the world into a whole new set of use cases.”

The launch extends TEKEVER’s autonomous portfolio across defence, security, and civil markets.

Learn more on Tekever’s website

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