The drone is a more battle-hardened model, shaped by lessons from Ukraine.

Tekever unveiled an upgraded, more capable version of its AR3 surveillance drone called the AR3 Evo at DSEI UK 2025 on 9 September in London.

The new model evolves the AR3 VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) into a more modular, versatile capability, acting much like a “Lego brick”, with multiple propulsion options and a greater payload capacity available, the CEO of Tekever Ricardo Mendes told DSEI Gateway.

For example, militaries can opt for electric, combustion, or a heavy fuel-powered drone, depending on whether they require endurance, speed, or altitude. In comparison, the VTOL is primarily combustion-powered.

The vehicle’s payload capacity has also increased from 4kg to 6kg, allowing a much greater range of payloads, expanding its ability to support wide-area surveillance, electronic attack, or act as a communications relay, Simon Briggs Head of Capability at Tekever explained during the unveiling to DSEI Gateway and other media representatives. 

Endurance has similarly increased from 16 hours to 22 hours in the fixed-wing configuration, compared with the previous model, while its communications range has also improved, depending on the payload, from 100km to 230km, Briggs continued. 

Although the AR3 VTOL is also shipborne capable, the Evo can now operate in more confined naval environments, landing on decks spanning 5x5m, Briggs added.

The AR3 VTOL has been deployed by Ukrainian forces for several years, accumulating more than 10,000 operational flight hours, supporting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.

To rapidly adapt its AR3 drones to frontline feedback, the company established an office in Ukraine in April. Learnings were subsequently fed into the AR3 Evo, which the company states has more resistance to electronic warfare, integrated with technologies such as an anti-spoofing autopilot function.