A new eye in the sky
TEKEVER has been selected to provide the British Army's next-generation surveillance capability under a programme worth up to £400 million. Based on the company's AR5 autonomous aircraft, the CORVUS system will replace the Army's ageing Watchkeeper fleet and deliver improved endurance, reliability and sensor performance. Drawing on operational
experience gained in Ukraine, the AR5 is designed to provide persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, delivering real-time information to commanders in the field. Production will be centred at TEKEVER's new facility in Swindon, supporting hundreds of highly skilled jobs and strengthening the UK's sovereign autonomous systems capability.
Forging sovereign capability Sheffield-based Special Melted Products (SMP) is investing heavily in the future of UK aerospace and defence manufacturing through Project Vulcan, an ambitious programme designed to establish the country's first large- scale superalloy forging capability. The initiative aims to reshore strategically important manufacturing currently dominated by overseas suppliers and strengthen the resilience of critical supply chains. At the centre of the programme
is the development of sovereign UK capability in nickel-based superalloys, the advanced materials used in the high-temperature sections of modern jet engines. Demand for these specialist materials is growing as governments and manufacturers place greater emphasis on security of supply and domestic industrial capacity. Backed by new investment and
expansion plans, SMP intends to create 44 Advance | Autumn 2026 A force multiplier
additional manufacturing, research and development facilities while significantly increasing production capacity. The company's long-term ambition is to triple annual revenue to more than £300 million by 2031 and create 150 skilled jobs across the region. For a sector increasingly focused
on resilience, capability and supply chain security, Project Vulcan represents a significant investment in the foundations of future aerospace and defence manufacturing.
Twenty-eight defence and security SMEs have joined forces to launch Spearhead, a collective designed to give government and prime contractors easier access to specialist capability through a single delivery organisation. Unlike traditional teaming arrangements, Spearhead operates as one entity, bringing together a wide range of expertise to simplify procure- ment and programme management. The initiative comes as the
Government seeks to increase direct spending with SMEs and reduce barriers to market entry. All members are UK-owned, vetted and security- cleared, with work allocated according to capability and suitability. By combining agility, innovation
and expertise under one banner, Spearhead aims to create a direct route between government buyers and the UK's defence and security SME community.
MEMBER NEWS
Photo credit: Special Melted Products
Photo credit: TEKEVER
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
