Drone manufacturer Tekever opens subsidiary in Munich – Bundeswehr tests first drone

Portuguese drone manufacturer Tekever continues to grow in Europe: a German subsidiary is being set up in Munich. At the same time, the company has scored a first success with the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces): a Tekever unmanned aircraft system has already been delivered and is now being tested for possible uses.

According to the manufacturer, the system is a heavy-lift drone. The Bundeswehr mainly wants to investigate autonomous capabilities for logistics and support tasks. The cooperation also includes military exercises that demonstrated the potential of autonomous systems in various operational scenarios.

Activities in the German-speaking region are to be brought together under the name Tekever Germany. Munich is planned as the regional hub for development, business development and customer support. The company also plans cooperation with partners from industry, research and technology in Germany.

Drone manufacturer invests millions in European sites

The expansion was preceded by a financing round of up to 580 million US dollars (around 500 million euros), in which Tekever reached a valuation of 6.4 billion US dollars. At the same time, substantial funds are flowing into the expansion of its European sites: 400 million pounds are earmarked for the United Kingdom and a further 200 million euros for France.

Tekever CEO Ricardo Mendes explains the move with the importance of the country:

Germany is one of the most important European centres for engineering, innovation and industrial capability— Ricardo Mendes, CEO of Tekever

According to Mendes, the new subsidiary is intended to create a long-term basis for growth, cooperation and investment.

Besides Germany, Tekever is already present in Portugal, the United Kingdom, France, Ukraine and Estonia. The goal is a Europe-wide network for autonomous systems covering security tasks and critical infrastructure protection as well as military applications.