Equipment from the company created by IST graduates was key in detecting the movements of the Russian army over long distances, as well as identifying potential targets for destruction.
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps revealed that drones donated by the UK to Ukraine, including reconnaissance drones from the Portuguese company Tekver, destroyed around €1,100 million worth of Russian military equipment.
“Our Ukrainian partners conservatively estimate that British drones have destroyed this value in Russian equipment,” Shapps told the Ukrainian Drone Defense Forum in London on Monday.
The United Kingdom has previously sent more than four thousand drones to Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. According to the minister, more than 30 types of aircraft, with different capabilities and capabilities, were donated as part of a support package exceeding 500 million euros. . The British government plans to increase this aid by 380 million euros over the next year.
Among the vehicles sent is the AR3, a small unmanned aircraft developed and manufactured in Portugal and capable of operating in environments saturated with electronic warfare tools and carrying out long-distance surveillance. Highly versatile and autonomous for 16 hours, these drones have allowed Ukraine to detect Russian military movements over long distances, as well as identify potential targets for destruction.
“The AR3 is a system that was developed to be very flexible in the field. These systems can provide a wide range of capabilities at a very small size – they are still very small systems,” Ricardo Mendes, Tekever CEO, tells CNN Portugal.
Tekever, created by former students of Instituto Superior Técnico as an AI-related software company, has continuous software development as one of its main characteristics. The Portuguese company’s engineers receive reports on the problems faced by their customers and develop solutions that allow them to overcome these challenges.
The fact that the artificially intelligent operating systems allow the vehicle to remain in the air and follow its course, regardless of the loss of signal with the operator, due to interference from enemy electronic warfare equipment.
“A key factor in the success of our systems in Ukraine is their ability to continuously update in response to evolving needs on the ground, even in congested environments. [por sistemas de guerra eletrónica]”, the company wrote in a post on social networks.
The equipment produced by Tekever is focused exclusively on surveillance and Ricardo Mendes ensures that the company is not ready to change course to start producing products of a military nature. However, the qualities of the Portuguese drones among Ukrainian soldiers have earned the company many accolades. “Our collaboration has had an incredible impact on the battlefield,” Grant Shapps added.
This year, the company unveiled a new product, ARX, a system capable of highlighting and coordinating swarms of drones. This vehicle will only be available in 2025 – it promises to “significantly enhance surveillance and life-saving capabilities, in both civilian and military organisations”, with greater autonomy, greater speed, and the ability to carry more technology and “capture more information”. .
