The peace campaigners have announced they will join with anti war groups and Trade Unions from across Wales to Protest the "Corporate Military Takeover" of West Wales Airport on Saturday, 21 November, at 12.30 - 3pm.

Marking the International Weekend Against Militarisation, people from across Wales will come together to protest at Europe's biggest area of airspace set aside for drone testing, which covers 2,500 square miles over Welsh land and sea. Campaigners are asking a fundamental question: “why use our land, our skills, and our public money for war rather than for vital human needs and for funding Arms jobs when Wales needs Green jobs?”

A network of anti war groups and trade unions from across Wales, including PSC Cymru and CND Cymru, aims to expose what they call the "ongoing militarisation of the Welsh landscape" and the entrenched links between local testing ranges and major international defense corporations.

The protest follows the UK Ministry of Defence’s recent confirmation of the termination of the controversial Watchkeeper drone program. Campaigners are calling the grounding of the Watchkeeper a "major victory for public scrutiny" but warn that the underlying military infrastructure in West and Mid Wales is rapidly being repurposed by new corporate defense contractors.

According to research compiled by the peace groups, West Wales Airport was recently acquired by Anglo-Portuguese defense firm Tekever. The corporation secured a major contract worth up to £400 million to supply its AR5 surveillance drones as the official replacement for the scrapped Watchkeeper fleet. Tekever has since established a permanent drone pilot training school on the Aberporth site to develop these military assets.

Activists are also drawing attention to ongoing activities across Mid Wales, particularly at the Sennybridge Training Area (SENTA) on the Epynt ranges. The site hosts an operational presence by Elbit Systems UK—a subsidiary of Israel's largest private defense contractor, Haifa-based Elbit Systems—which provides integrated combat simulation technology and ground radars directly to the British Army on Welsh soil.

Heather Huntley, Coordinator for Mid Wales Against Arms, said: "The Watchkeeper drone may be grounded, but the corporate machinery of war hasn't left Wales—it has simply changed hands. Aberporth is being used as a private testing laboratory and a training academy for autonomous warfare technology under companies like Tekever, while Elbit Systems continues to operate on the Epynt ranges.

“We are standing together to say clearly: not in our name, not on our land, and not in our skies."

Activists are demanding an immediate end to all Ministry of Defence contracts with Elbit Systems across Welsh ranges, and a halt to the commercial exploitation of local civilian infrastructure for private military testing.

Members of the public, peace groups, and local residents are invited to join the peaceful demonstration at the airport gates.