New site of UK drone factory revealed

A caller drone mill volition unfastened successful Swindon to assistance nutrient the uncrewed aerial systems the UK has sent to combat Russia successful Ukraine, the authorities volition denote today.

The 254,000-square-foot installation volition beryllium operated by Tekever and is owed to unfastened successful 2026, Defence Secretary John Healey volition accidental astatine a tract sojourn later.

It volition make 1,000 jobs and bring halfway accumulation of the AR5 drone to the UK for the archetypal time, portion expanding capableness of existing AR3 production.

The UK has bought £270m successful Tekever drones to assistance Ukrainian forces destruct precocious Russian aerial defence systems since Vladimir Putin launched his penetration successful February 2022.

It volition beryllium the manufacturer's 4th UK tract and its largest truthful far.

"This caller mill is simply a wide objection that this authorities is making defence an motor for maturation crossed the UK," Mr Healey is expected to say.

"Tekever's enlargement volition bring high-skilled jobs and world-leading drone manufacturing to Swindon, portion strengthening defence proviso chains.

"By backing Britain's defence industry, we fortify some our system and nationalist security."

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Swindon has agelong had an important defence role, having produced the Supermarine Spitfire during the Second World War.

The caller Tekever-run tract volition besides instrumentality implicit accumulation of the RAF's StormShroud capability.

It comes aft defence emerged arsenic 1 of the cardinal winners of Chancellor Rachel Reeves's spending review successful June.

The defence fund volition summation from 2.3% of gross home merchandise (GDP) successful 2025 to 2.6% successful 2027 - the equivalent of a £600m uplift.

In May, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced an other £19m successful concern of AR3 Tekever StormShroud drones for the RAF.

Karl Brew, Tekever's manager of defence, said the Swindon mill volition play a "central role" successful the accumulation of AR3 EVO systems and guarantee an "advanced, sovereign capableness astatine gait and successful adjacent concern with the UK defence ecosystem".