The largest Tekever drone factory will be opened in the UK: they are supplied to Ukraine

In 2026, the UK's largest drone manufacturing plant is to open in Swindon, southwest England. It will be built by the Portuguese company Tekever, says on the British government's website.

The Swindon plant will be the company's fourth facility in the UK, where it already produces AR3 drones .

According to Defense Secretary John Healey, the opening of this plant will allow the UK to establish mainstream production of AR5 drones for the first time. The new Tekever site will also be used to produce the StormShroud system for the Royal Air Force.

In May, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced an additional £19 million investment by the Royal Air Force in Tekever AR3 drones.

Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Britain has purchased about 270 million pounds worth of Tekever drones for Ukraine, according to the government's website. These UAVs have been widely used to destroy high-tech Russian air defense systems.

Swindon has long played an important role in Britain's defense. During the Second World War, Supermarine Spitfire fighters were produced here.

Tekever will join other drone companies operating in the city - Germany's Stark and Norway's Munin Dynamics, writes BBC.

Last week, drone company DSEI Flyby also announced its desire to set up shop in Swindon, with CEO John Parker saying the city is "on a new path of development and Flyby wants to be a big part of it.".

In July, Tekever announced the acquisition of the West Wales airport to strengthen the defense capabilities of the UK and NATO.

The Portuguese company has been operating at the site since 2023, but has now bought it as part of its £400 million Overmatch UK investment program, announced back in May.

The airport is a key element of the project, which aims to turn it into a "national center for testing and evaluation of unmanned systems.".

• on September 10, the British Ministry of Defense announced its intention to sign an agreement with Ukraine on the exchange of technological know-how in the production of military drones. The first joint project is an air defense interceptor drone called Project Octopus. It is planned to be mass-produced in the UK with the aim of establishing production in the thousands every month for Ukraine .