Britain is buying itself Ukraine-tested eyes on the battlefield. On September 16, 2026, the UK Ministry of Defence unveiled a bundle of drone contracts that puts more than 1,000 new reconnaissance airframes into the British Army's hands, replacing the ageing Watchkeeper system that was retired in 2024.
The £400M AR5 Deal With Tekever
The largest of the awards is a £400 million contract for Tekever's AR5 long-endurance surveillance drone, chosen to backfill the Watchkeeper capability gap. Portugal's Tekever, which recently closed a $580M Series D at a $6.4B valuation and shipped the AR5 to the Portuguese Air Force last month, says the UK order will support more than 1,000 skilled jobs by 2030, with over 30 already filled.
£16M For 915 Small Drones
Alongside AR5, the MoD placed a £16 million small-drones order broken into two lots. Surrey-based Marlborough Communications Limited will supply 670 units of Skydio's X10 INTL quadcopter, an autonomous inspection and situational-awareness drone rated for 45 mph and ready to fly in under 60 seconds. Hampshire's Evolve Dynamics will deliver 245 FOXE-NATO nano-drones weighing under 250 grams and equipped with infrared night vision, aimed at dismounted infantry sections.
Why It Matters
"Our soldiers deserve the best technology…we're transforming the Army's ability to see, understand and act first," Defence Readiness and Industry Minister Luke Pollard MP said. The MoD's rapid-fielding push mirrors moves by other Western militaries this month, from the US Navy standing up a new Robotics and Autonomous Systems Warfighting Development Center to the USAF fit-checking Anduril's Fury with new munitions. Together they paint a picture of Western defence buyers finally moving from pilot programs to production orders on autonomous ISR platforms.
Reporting based on coverage from GOV.UK, LBC, The Register and Army Recognition.