Tekever, the Portugal-based military drone maker, is putting down deeper roots in the UK after landing a major deal with the Royal Air Force. The company says it will invest £400 million into UK operations over the next five years, creating up to 1,000 high-skill jobs in drone production, engineering, and support.
The deal centers around StormShroud, a new RAF electronic warfare initiative. Tekever will supply its AR3 drones—used by Ukrainian forces in active conflict zones—as part of the program. The drones are built in the UK and, according to the government, will make British aircraft “more survivable and more lethal.”
This comes at a time when the lines between defence contractors and startups are blurring. Russia’s war in Ukraine, paired with growing pressure from the U.S.—and specifically, the return of Donald Trump to the White House—has pushed European governments to spend more on defence. Trump has made it clear: either Europe pays more for its own security or it risks losing U.S. support.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited one of Tekever’s manufacturing sites in the southeast of England to mark the announcement. He met engineers and apprentices working on the drones and used the visit to frame the investment as both an industrial and national security win.
“Investment in our defence is an investment in this country’s future,” Starmer said. “It means jobs, it means security, and it means putting money back into the hands of working people.”
Tekever CEO Ricardo Mendes framed the move as more than just scaling up production. “This strategic commitment to the UK is more than an industrial expansion,” he said. “It’s a plan to position the UK to lead the transformation of Europe’s defence landscape—delivering faster, more adaptive capabilities that stay ahead of evolving threats.”
With billions now flowing into European defence startups, the question isn’t whether the continent is ramping up—it’s who will build what comes next. Tekever seems to be betting that British manufacturing will play a central role.
