Portugal will use Ukraine-proven autonomous Tekever AR5 uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) to fly maritime security and coastal protection missions.
Under a new deal struck with the Portuguese Air Force (PAF) Tekever is supplying an unspecified number of its AR5 drones, a ground control station and the Atlas mission system. The contract also includes an operator training package.
Initial operational capability is anticipated next month, followed by a second phase of training in October to take the team to full operational readiness.
Director for Portugal at Tekever Pedro Petiz commented: “This contract puts an autonomous capability developed and produced in Portugal to work in protecting our airspace and maritime territory.
“In addition to supplying the aircraft, we will cooperate with the Portuguese Air Force to consolidate and develop its own operational capability, which will strengthen national autonomy, readiness, and response capacity.”
And the PAF’s AR5 Working Group Operational Coordinator Lt. Col. Luís Henriques added: “This platform meets current surveillance, security, and defense requirements, providing greater range, endurance, and operational flexibility.
“Its integration will strengthen the nation’s capacity to monitor the Exclusive Economic Zone and support a wide range of public interest missions, contributing to an Air Force that is better prepared to respond to present and future challenges.”
The Tekever AR5 is a medium-altitude, medium-endurance (MAME) fixed-wing UAS optimized for wide-area surveillance over land or sea, using both satellite and beyond-line-of-sight communications networks.
The 7.3-m wingspan drone is 4m long, has a flight endurance of up to 20 hours, and a 50kg payload capacity. It can take off from short landing strips — it needs roughly 300m to get airborne — and features both electro-optic/infra-red sensors and maritime and synthetic aperture radar systems.
The AI-powered Atlas suite serves as both mission control and data fusion software, aggregating live telemetry, video and radar feeds and providing edge-processed object detection and tracking.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have been using both Tekever’s AR5 and its smaller AR3 drones to conduct long-range intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions since spring 2022. The AR5’s software has been developed to fly autonomously and navigate seamlessly without GNSS signals.
- You can read more details on the Tekever website
