British Army finds a new eye in the sky after Watchkeeper woes

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is investing up to 400 million in new surveillance drones to replace the British Army's troublesome Watchkeeper fleet. The MoD has selected the Tekever AR5 uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) for a fleet of "spy-in-the-sky" aircraft intended to provide real-time intelligence, protect troops, and inform battlefield decisions. The initial order will be for six AR5 drones, with up to 24 expected by 2029. The aircraft will be built at a soon-to-open manufacturing facility in Swindon and, subject to contract signature and final approval, will begin entering service later this year. Support is expected to continue for at least five years, with options to extend it. Tekever is a small aerospace and defense biz based in Portugal, but with a number of manufacturing and test facilities in the UK. One of its other products has already been adopted by the Royal Air Force as the basis for the StormShroud electronic warfare drone. The AR5 is a medium-endurance UAV that resembles a small conventional light aircraft. It is 4 m (13 ft) long with a 7.3 m (24 ft) wingspan and is powered by a pair of 170 cc two-stroke boxer piston engines, so it isn't going to break any speed records. It is capable of carrying a 50 kg (110 pounds) payload, with an endurance of up to 20 hours, and can take off and land on rough ground. The newcomer is expected to replace the Watchkeeper in British Army service, a drone system perhaps best known to Reg readers for its tendency to not remain in the air. According to Janes, Watchkeeper only saw brief operational service at the end of the conflict in Afghanistan, and was also used to track refugee boats in the English Channel in 2020. Other than that, it has largely been used for training, which may explain why at least seven are known to have been lost in incidents. Former defence secretary John Healey announced in 2024 that Watchkeeper was set to be retired, despite the system having entered service only in 2014 and being expected to serve the Army until 2042. The reasons for this should be obvious: the war in Ukraine has seen airborne drone technology advance significantly over the past several years, and Watchkeeper was already seen as not up to snuff. The British Army began the procurement process for Watchkeeper's successor last year under the codename Project Corvus. Newly appointed defence secretary Wes Streeting said the chosen replacement has already been put to good use by Ukraine's military. "Proven in Ukraine and designed to protect British soldiers globally, we've chosen the UK-based Tekever AR5 drone to supply our personnel with kit that will keep them ahead of emerging threats," he said. It offers significantly improved endurance, sensor capability, and reliability, according to the MoD. Payload options include electro-optical and infrared sensors, maritime radar, signals intelligence equipment, and search-and-rescue capability. Tekever UK managing director Karl Brew insisted that this wouldn't be about supplying a point solution, but helping the Army to stay one step ahead of its adversaries. "Tekever aims to create a new type of partnership between government and industry where we will ensure a constant cycle of capability evolution that delivers decisive advantage to our end users," he claimed. (R)