UK Industrial Partnership Expands to Support AR5 Manufacturing

Autonomous systems provider TEKEVER and advanced composites manufacturer iCOMAT have expanded their industrial partnership to support the production and industrialisation of the AR5 unmanned aerial system.

The agreement forms part of OVERMATCH, TEKEVER’s £400 million industrial expansion programme to scale manufacturing capacity, accelerate the development of next-generation autonomous capabilities, and strengthen the UK’s sovereign defence industrial base. Under the initiative, TEKEVER has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with iCOMAT to explore further opportunities for collaboration in advanced composite manufacturing.

The partnership supports TEKEVER’s efforts to develop a resilient UK supply chain through cooperation with specialist British manufacturers. It also draws on iCOMAT’s manufacturing operations in Gloucester and Swindon and its Rapid Tow Shearing technology.

Both companies are portfolio companies of the NATO Innovation Fund. The collaboration is intended to support the industrialisation of advanced defence technologies while strengthening manufacturing capability in the UK and the wider defence industrial bases of Europe and NATO.

Scott McClelland, Deputy Director, TEKEVER Defence Unit, commented, “Delivering autonomous capability at scale requires a resilient industrial ecosystem. As we continue to expand production through our OVERMATCH initiative, partnerships with companies like iCOMAT help us strengthen the UK supply chain and ensure we can deliver operational capability to our customers at pace. Their expertise in advanced composites makes them a valuable partner as TEKEVER continues to grow.”

Evangelos Zympeloudis, CEO of iCOMAT, said, “TEKEVER and iCOMAT share a common vision for strengthening defence capability through innovation, scalability and sovereign manufacturing. As two NATO Innovation Fund portfolio companies, we are uniquely positioned to demonstrate how world-class technology developers and advanced manufacturers can work together to accelerate capability into the hands of end users. We are proud to support the AR5 programme and look forward to deepening our collaboration as production volumes increase and future generations of autonomous systems are developed.”