TEKEVER, which is a leading AI-enabled autonomous systems supplier, along with iCOMAT, the advanced composites manufacturer as well as the inventor of Rapid Tow Shearing – RTS, has announced an expansion of their collaboration aimed at facilitating the production and industrialization of the AR5 unmanned aerial system.
As part of OVERMATCH, the £400 million industrial expansion programme from TEKEVER so as to scale manufacturing capacity, speed up the development of next-generation autonomous capabilities, and bolster the sovereign defence industrial base of the UK, TEKEVER entered into an MoU with iCOMAT to explore additional partnership and collaboration possibilities in connection to advanced composite manufacturing.
The partnership constitutes part of the strategy from TEKEVER to establish a robust, high-performance UK supply chain through collaboration with specialized British manufacturers, growing local industrial capacity, and promoting the continued growth of the company.
Interestingly, the partnership builds on the manufacturing operations of iCOMAT in Gloucester and Swindon and will further strengthen the defence manufacturing infrastructure of the UK.
The programme shows how a partnership between a European leader in AI-enabled autonomous systems along with innovative UK manufacturing collaborators can expedite the industrialization of advanced defence technologies, boosting the defence industrial foundation of the UK, Europe, and NATO.
According to the Deputy Director, TEKEVER Defence Unit, Scott McClelland, “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.
The CEO of iCOMAT, Evangelos Zympeloudis, remarks that “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 unmanned aerial system programme and look forward to deepening our collaboration as production volumes increase and future generations of autonomous systems are developed.”