British Army to get Ukraine-tested ‘spy’ drones in £400m deal to spot enemies before they strike
British Army to get Ukraine-tested ‘spy’ drones in deal worth up to £400m
British soldiers are to receive new surveillance drones already used in Ukraine under a deal worth up to £400 million, as the Army moves to replace its ageing Watchkeeper aircraft and give troops a clearer picture of threats on the battlefield.
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The contract with Tekever will initially provide six AR5 drones, with the fleet potentially expanding to 24 by 2029. A separate £16 million deal is delivering 1,025 smaller drones, including aircraft light enough to weigh less than 250g and equipped with infrared cameras for use at night.
Together, the programmes are intended to help soldiers spot threats and give commanders the intelligence they need to make decisions before troops come into danger.
The smaller aircraft will provide real-time information close to the frontline, while the larger AR5 drones will carry out surveillance over longer distances and for longer periods.
The AR5 can carry up to 50kg of cameras and sensors. The new aircraft will be built at a factory in Swindon, with the Ministry of Defence saying the contract will help support more than 1,000 highly skilled jobs across Tekever’s UK operations by 2030.
The replacement follows the costly failure of Watchkeeper, a £1.35 billion programme that promised to transform the Army’s battlefield surveillance but became mired in delays, crashes and technical problems before being scrapped.
As LBC previously reported, the cost rose from an initial £700 million, while eight of its 54 aircraft were lost in crashes. Despite being marketed as an all-weather system, its performance in poor conditions became a persistent concern, with training moved as far afield as Ascension Island because of difficulties operating in British weather.
The problems went beyond the aircraft themselves, with shortages of trained pilots and a development process reportedly weighed down by 1,910 individual requirements.
While smaller, cheaper drones were proving their worth in Ukraine, Britain was left abandoning a programme that had consumed more than a billion pounds, putting pressure on the Ministry of Defence to show its latest investment will deliver equipment soldiers can actually rely on.
Defence Readiness and Industry Minister Luke Pollard announced the deals at Defence Vehicle Dynamics, the UK’s biennial land warfare exhibition. He said the investment would improve the Army’s ability to identify threats and act on intelligence.
“Our soldiers deserve the best technology, and that's what we're delivering. From small drones giving troops eyes on the enemy, to the AR5 offering commanders better intelligence over the battlefield, we're transforming the Army's ability to see, understand and act first.
“This is defence procurement that backs British industry, creates skilled jobs and keeps our Armed Forces ahead of our adversaries.”
Deliveries under the smaller drone contract are nearing completion, with equipment supplied through three UK-based businesses. The order includes 245 FOXE-NATO drones from Hampshire-based Evolve Dynamics, which weigh less than 250g and carry infrared cameras to help troops see at night.
A further 670 Skydio X10 INTL drones are being supplied by Marlborough Communications Limited in Surrey. These can be ready to fly in under a minute and reach speeds of up to 45mph, allowing troops to get an aerial view quickly as circumstances change.
The remaining 110 are SONORA training drones, supplied through a partnership between Exeter-based Brigantes Consulting and Harmattan AI. These will help soldiers develop their skills before operating similar aircraft on real missions.
Tekever UK managing director Karl Brew said the AR5 contract would bring surveillance technology already used on the battlefield in Ukraine into British service.
“We are proud to be delivering the AR5 to the British Army at this critical moment for national security. This investment allows us to grow our UK operations, create hundreds of skilled jobs and bring cutting-edge surveillance technology, proven on the battlefield in Ukraine, into service with British forces.”
The smaller drone deal forms part of Project Rapstone, the Army’s programme to get new technology into soldiers’ hands faster.
The plan is designed to move equipment from industry to the frontline within 24 months and doubling the Army’s fighting power by 2027.
The announcements form part of the government’s Defence Investment Plan commitments on surveillance and reconnaissance.
The war in Ukraine has shown how much small drones are changing the battlefield, allowing troops to spot enemy positions, direct artillery fire and carry out precision strikes with equipment costing a fraction of traditional military systems.
Their use has made it harder to move troops, vehicles and supplies without being detected, turning an aircraft that fits in a soldier’s backpack into a threat that commanders cannot afford to ignore.