European AI-enabled autonomous systems leader TEKEVER and advanced composites manufacturer iCOMAT have expanded their industrial partnership to support the production and industrialisation of the AR5 unmanned aerial system.
The collaboration forms part of OVERMATCH, TEKEVER’s £400 million industrial expansion programme designed to scale manufacturing capacity, accelerate the development of next-generation autonomous capabilities, and reinforce the UK’s sovereign defence industrial base.
Under a newly signed Memorandum of Understanding, the two companies will explore further opportunities for collaboration in advanced composite manufacturing, drawing on iCOMAT’s manufacturing operations in Gloucester and Swindon. The partnership forms part of TEKEVER’s strategy to build a resilient UK supply chain while strengthening local industrial capability and supporting continued production growth.
Scott McClelland, Deputy Director of the 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, added, “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.”
