The British Army has announced the procurement of Tekever AR5 tactical unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to replace its current Watchkeeper fleet…
The contract for the AR5 platforms, acquired under the Corvus program, is valued at up to £400 million.
The Army plans to induct six systems in the initial phase, with a total of 24 AR5 units expected by 2029.
Of the 54 Watchkeeper tactical UAS acquired through the Thales UK and Israeli-based Elbit Systems partnership since 2010, reports indicate that only about 10 remain operational.
Due to this low availability, the service intends to retire the Watchkeeper fleet by 2027.
The Tekever AR5 can carry up to 50 kilograms of mission equipment, including electro-optical systems, cameras, and various surveillance sensors.
The unarmed AR5 offers an endurance of up to 20 hours and can transmit real-time intelligence to command elements…