Operational imagery of the Tekever system | Image: Tekever
The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded contracts worth a combined £10 million to four companies to develop autonomous drones designed to operate alongside the British Army’s AH-64 Apache attack helicopters under Project NYX.
The programme is intended to develop uncrewed air systems capable of supporting Apache crews during missions including reconnaissance, target acquisition, precision strike and electronic warfare in contested environments.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the drones are intended to operate autonomously and provide information to Apache crews without requiring direct control by pilots. The ministry stated that decisions involving the use of weapons would continue to be made by human operators.
The four companies selected for the next stage of the programme are Anduril Industries UK, BAE Systems, Tekever and Thales UK. The companies were chosen following a competitive process and will now develop concepts using different payloads, sensors and autonomous technologies.
The Ministry of Defence plans to assess the proposals over the coming months before selecting up to two companies in Autumn 2026 to move forward to the prototype stage. If testing is successful, the UK aims to field an operational system by 2030.
Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard said, “This is British ingenuity at its best – cutting-edge drones working alongside Apache helicopters to give our soldiers an unbeatable advantage on the battlefield. The UK isn’t just keeping up with the future of warfare, we’re driving it.”
Project NYX is being delivered with support from UK Defence Innovation as part of wider British Army autonomy initiatives.
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