Army drone deal widened to cover heavier aircraft

Britain's Ministry of Defence proposes expanding the Army's TIQUILA drone contract by raising the maximum aircraft takeoff weight from 20 to 50 kilograms and explicitly including beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations. The existing Lockheed Martin UK agreement, awarded in December 2022, is worth £129.35 million excluding VAT and runs for 10 years with extension options. TIQUILA provides modular, packable and portable intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance systems, with Stalker VXE 30 and Indago aircraft already ordered. The ministry intends to make the technical change without a new competition while retaining existing pricing and integration arrangements.