British Army Orders Combat-Proven TEKEVER AR5 Surveillance Drones Deployed in Ukraine
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The British Army is set to field TEKEVER’s combat-proven AR5 long-endurance surveillance drone under a UK Ministry of Defence contract worth up to £400 million, bringing a system already used in Ukraine into service through Project CORVUS. Announced by the Ministry of Defence, the acquisition will replace the ageing Watchkeeper capability with persistent long-range ISR designed to give commanders greater visibility across the battlefield and more time to detect, track and assess threats.
The AR5 can carry up to 50 kg of cameras and intelligence sensors, while TEKEVER says its systems have accumulated more than 50,000 operational flight hours in Ukraine since 2022. With six aircraft initially ordered and the fleet potentially expanding to 24 by 2029, the system will strengthen the Army’s ability to maintain surveillance at range while applying operational lessons from a battlefield shaped by electronic warfare and increasingly contested airspace.
Related Topic: British Army to Gain Greater Battlefield Awareness with New Surveillance Drones
The British Army has ordered TEKEVER AR5 long-endurance surveillance drones under Project CORVUS, replacing Watchkeeper with a Ukraine-proven ISR capability (Picture Source: Army Recognition Group)
The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded TEKEVER a contract worth up to £400 million to bring the AR5 long-endurance uncrewed aerial system into service with the British Army under Project CORVUS. The platform, already used operationally in Ukraine, will provide persistent, long-range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), giving British commanders greater visibility and understanding of the battlefield. The contract represents a major step in the replacement of the British Army’s ageing Watchkeeper fleet and strengthens TEKEVER’s growing industrial presence in the United Kingdom.
The British Army has operated the Thales Watchkeeper WK450 since 2014. Under Project CORVUS, the AR5 will progressively provide a new generation of long-endurance surveillance capability. The initial contract covers six AR5 aircraft, with the fleet potentially rising to as many as 24 by 2029. According to TEKEVER, CORVUS is expected to begin entering British Army service later in 2026, providing enhanced endurance, improved reliability and more advanced intelligence-gathering capabilities.
The AR5 is a long-endurance fixed-wing uncrewed aircraft designed to carry multiple intelligence and surveillance payloads. The UK Ministry of Defence states that it can carry up to 50 kg of cameras and sensors, allowing it to support commanders over extended distances and periods. Rather than being intended simply as a tactical drone operating directly above frontline units, the AR5 is designed to provide persistent ISR over a wider area, allowing commanders to collect intelligence, monitor developments and maintain situational awareness for longer periods.
One of the most significant aspects of the acquisition is the AR5’s operational experience in Ukraine. TEKEVER says its systems have accumulated more than 50,000 operational flight hours in Ukraine since 2022, experience that has contributed to the development of the capability now selected by the British Army. The UK Ministry of Defence has also confirmed that AR5 drones have already been used by Ukraine against Russia. This gives Project CORVUS a relatively mature operational foundation compared with systems entering service without comparable recent combat experience.
The agreement also has an important British industrial dimension. Manufacturing of the AR5 will be centred at TEKEVER’s new facility in Swindon, supported by the company’s engineering, training and operational activities elsewhere in the country and by a consortium of British small and medium-sized enterprises. The UK government estimates that the TEKEVER programme will help support more than 1,000 highly skilled jobs by 2030 across locations including Bristol, Swindon, Lydd, London, Southampton, Edinburgh and West Wales Airport.
For TEKEVER, CORVUS also forms part of a wider effort to establish what the company describes as a sovereign UK capability covering engineering, manufacturing, training and operational support. The programme is linked to TEKEVER’s £400 million OVERMATCH strategic investment programme in the United Kingdom. This industrial approach means the British Army will not simply acquire an aircraft but will also establish domestic capacity to support and develop the system throughout its service life.
The selection of the AR5 also reflects a broader reassessment of the role of long-endurance uncrewed aircraft. Such systems remain potentially vulnerable when operating inside heavily defended airspace, particularly against modern surface-to-air missile systems, electronic warfare and fighter aircraft. However, their ability to remain airborne for extended periods and carry substantial intelligence payloads continues to make them useful for persistent surveillance, particularly when operating at appropriate stand-off distances or in less heavily contested areas. Experience from Ukraine has also demonstrated the importance of continuously adapting uncrewed systems to changing operational and electronic-warfare conditions.
For the British Army, Project CORVUS represents more than a straightforward replacement for Watchkeeper. The AR5 combines long-endurance ISR capability with operational experience accumulated during the war in Ukraine and a growing UK-based manufacturing and support infrastructure. With six aircraft initially ordered and the fleet potentially expanding to 24 by 2029, the programme should provide the Army with a more persistent intelligence capability while also illustrating how lessons from current conflicts are increasingly shaping the next generation of European military drone programmes.
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The British Army is set to field TEKEVER’s combat-proven AR5 long-endurance surveillance drone under a UK Ministry of Defence contract worth up to £400 million, bringing a system already used in Ukraine into service through Project CORVUS. Announced by the Ministry of Defence, the acquisition will replace the ageing Watchkeeper capability with persistent long-range ISR designed to give commanders greater visibility across the battlefield and more time to detect, track and assess threats.
The AR5 can carry up to 50 kg of cameras and intelligence sensors, while TEKEVER says its systems have accumulated more than 50,000 operational flight hours in Ukraine since 2022. With six aircraft initially ordered and the fleet potentially expanding to 24 by 2029, the system will strengthen the Army’s ability to maintain surveillance at range while applying operational lessons from a battlefield shaped by electronic warfare and increasingly contested airspace.
Related Topic: British Army to Gain Greater Battlefield Awareness with New Surveillance Drones
The British Army has ordered TEKEVER AR5 long-endurance surveillance drones under Project CORVUS, replacing Watchkeeper with a Ukraine-proven ISR capability (Picture Source: Army Recognition Group)
The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded TEKEVER a contract worth up to £400 million to bring the AR5 long-endurance uncrewed aerial system into service with the British Army under Project CORVUS. The platform, already used operationally in Ukraine, will provide persistent, long-range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), giving British commanders greater visibility and understanding of the battlefield. The contract represents a major step in the replacement of the British Army’s ageing Watchkeeper fleet and strengthens TEKEVER’s growing industrial presence in the United Kingdom.
The British Army has operated the Thales Watchkeeper WK450 since 2014. Under Project CORVUS, the AR5 will progressively provide a new generation of long-endurance surveillance capability. The initial contract covers six AR5 aircraft, with the fleet potentially rising to as many as 24 by 2029. According to TEKEVER, CORVUS is expected to begin entering British Army service later in 2026, providing enhanced endurance, improved reliability and more advanced intelligence-gathering capabilities.
The AR5 is a long-endurance fixed-wing uncrewed aircraft designed to carry multiple intelligence and surveillance payloads. The UK Ministry of Defence states that it can carry up to 50 kg of cameras and sensors, allowing it to support commanders over extended distances and periods. Rather than being intended simply as a tactical drone operating directly above frontline units, the AR5 is designed to provide persistent ISR over a wider area, allowing commanders to collect intelligence, monitor developments and maintain situational awareness for longer periods.
One of the most significant aspects of the acquisition is the AR5’s operational experience in Ukraine. TEKEVER says its systems have accumulated more than 50,000 operational flight hours in Ukraine since 2022, experience that has contributed to the development of the capability now selected by the British Army. The UK Ministry of Defence has also confirmed that AR5 drones have already been used by Ukraine against Russia. This gives Project CORVUS a relatively mature operational foundation compared with systems entering service without comparable recent combat experience.
The agreement also has an important British industrial dimension. Manufacturing of the AR5 will be centred at TEKEVER’s new facility in Swindon, supported by the company’s engineering, training and operational activities elsewhere in the country and by a consortium of British small and medium-sized enterprises. The UK government estimates that the TEKEVER programme will help support more than 1,000 highly skilled jobs by 2030 across locations including Bristol, Swindon, Lydd, London, Southampton, Edinburgh and West Wales Airport.
For TEKEVER, CORVUS also forms part of a wider effort to establish what the company describes as a sovereign UK capability covering engineering, manufacturing, training and operational support. The programme is linked to TEKEVER’s £400 million OVERMATCH strategic investment programme in the United Kingdom. This industrial approach means the British Army will not simply acquire an aircraft but will also establish domestic capacity to support and develop the system throughout its service life.
The selection of the AR5 also reflects a broader reassessment of the role of long-endurance uncrewed aircraft. Such systems remain potentially vulnerable when operating inside heavily defended airspace, particularly against modern surface-to-air missile systems, electronic warfare and fighter aircraft. However, their ability to remain airborne for extended periods and carry substantial intelligence payloads continues to make them useful for persistent surveillance, particularly when operating at appropriate stand-off distances or in less heavily contested areas. Experience from Ukraine has also demonstrated the importance of continuously adapting uncrewed systems to changing operational and electronic-warfare conditions.
For the British Army, Project CORVUS represents more than a straightforward replacement for Watchkeeper. The AR5 combines long-endurance ISR capability with operational experience accumulated during the war in Ukraine and a growing UK-based manufacturing and support infrastructure. With six aircraft initially ordered and the fleet potentially expanding to 24 by 2029, the programme should provide the Army with a more persistent intelligence capability while also illustrating how lessons from current conflicts are increasingly shaping the next generation of European military drone programmes.
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