Tekever presents the AR6 heavy-lift drone family for civil and military missions

In unmanned systems news, heavy-lift drones are the new class in the autonomous portfolio of Tekever: with the AR6, the company has presented a product family intended for both military and civil applications.

The AR6 is developed and built in the United Kingdom. Together with SME partners from the country, it is intended to provide a sovereign British solution for autonomous heavy-lift transport. Production is to start at the Tekever manufacturing centre in Swindon by the end of 2026.

A special propulsion technology is to give the AR6 family market-leading payload capacity and range: it is expected to transport up to 200 kilograms over a distance of 500 kilometres.

What sets the AR6 apart from previous heavy-lift drones

Tekever is regarded as the European market leader for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms. With the AR6, the company aims to close a key gap in the heavy-lift segment – with a platform that can “lift more and fly further”.

This market is currently dominated by electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) platforms. Typically, they lift only up to 100 kilograms, and only over very short distances of one to five kilometres. Compared with this state of the art, the new solution represents a significant step: specialised advances in hydraulics and propulsion are to enable Tekever to define a new standard with the AR6 – 200 kilograms of payload over 500 kilometres.

The platforms are designed for harsh environments. At both very high and very low temperatures, they are intended to be operated with little maintenance and upkeep effort.

Applications in civil and military markets

The AR6 family is to serve both markets, civil and military. This is expected to open up numerous new operational scenarios that have so far remained closed to electric heavy-lift quadcopters.

In the civil sector, use cases include logistics, offshore operations, medical support, search and rescue missions and disaster relief. On the military side, the focus is on casualty care, forward logistics and concepts in which drones operate together with combat aircraft, for example the British Apache teaming concept under Project Nyx.

The AR6 combines new technologies with what defines Tekever at its core: operation “as a service”, rapid design iteration, in-house autonomy software and lessons from Ukraine. The military version is to operate entirely without dependence on a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Advanced “Mission Autonomy” functions are also planned – for swarm operations of multiple platforms, for teaming with crewed systems and for survivability.

“AR6 represents the next evolution of our autonomous capabilities”— Ricardo Mendes, CEO of Tekever

“For years we have been helping customers move information. Today we are extending this capability to what matters most. Autonomous transport opens up a new category of missions for Tekever and, more importantly, for our customers.”— Ricardo Mendes

“The future of autonomy lies in delivering operational outcomes”— Karl Brew, Head of Tekever UK

“AR6 expands the operational envelope and allows us to bring all the experience we have built up in Ukraine and around the world to a whole range of new use cases.”— Karl Brew

The AR6 family is based on Tekever's extensive operational experience and the company's mission-oriented approach to innovation. With it, the company is further expanding its autonomous capabilities in defence, security and civil applications.