The United Kingdom is making a major investment in unmanned aerial technologies, with plans to open the country's largest drone manufacturing plant. Defense Secretary John Healey recently announced that the facility will be built in Swindon and is scheduled to open next year. Covering 23,600 square meters, the plant is expected to create around 1,000 highly skilled jobs.
The project will be developed by Tekever, Portuguese-British company that already operates production facilities in the UK. According to the UK Defence Journal, the expansion will allow for increased production of the AR3 drones and, for the first time in Britain, the manufacturing of the larger AR5 unmanned aerial systems.
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Significantly, the Swindon plant will host a full production cycle – from prototyping and research to series manufacturing. Tekever stated that this site will serve as the main hub for the Overmatch program, valued at £400 million (approximately €460 million).
Beyond its strategic importance for the British defense sector, the move carries direct implications for Ukraine. Earlier this year, London allocated tens of millions of pounds for the purchase of Tekever drones as part of its military aid package to Kyiv.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine are already operating Tekever's AR3 reconnaissance drones, which feature vertical take-off and landing capability. With a maximum weight of 25 kg, they can carry up to 4 kg of payload and stay airborne for 8 to 16 hours depending on configuration. The AR3 system has an operational range of 100 km and a cruising speed of 70-90 km/h.
According to the company, the AR3 drones in Ukraine have already logged more than 10,000 flight hours in combat operations, helping to locate and destroy russian military equipment worth billions of dollars. Ukrainian forces also operate Tekever's heavier AR5 tactical UAVs, designed for longer-range missions.
In April this year, Tekever opened a representative office in Ukraine and announced plans to involve Ukrainian specialists in its research and development work. This approach will integrate direct battlefield experience into the company's design process, further tailoring its systems to operational needs.
Since 2022, Tekever's cooperation with Ukraine has shown how frontline realities can shape the evolution of European defense technology. The upcoming plant in Swindon could further strengthen UK-Ukraine cooperation in the field of unmanned systems, while also boosting Britain's own industrial capacity.
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