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Crew member in a yellow safety vest pushes a grey F-35 fighter on a crowded aircraft carrier deck under a cloudy sky, cockpit canopy open nearby.

British aircraft carrier launches fighter jets in Arctic

F-35B stealth jets have embarked on HMS Prince of Wales as the carrier conducts NATO's Arctic Sentry vigilance in the North Atlantic, alongside HMS Duncan and RFA Tidespring.
Assault rifle with scope and foregrip lying on weathered wooden planks.

Machine guns among the military’s missing firearms

The Ministry of Defence has disclosed that 23 firearms were recorded as lost or stolen over five years, including two general purpose machine guns and an SA80 rifle, though more than half were deactivated, airsoft or cadet weapons unable to fire live rounds.

American jets and bombers ‘fight’ in the skies over Britain

American F-35s, F-15Es and B-1B bombers are flying from British bases in Astral Knight 2026, an air and missile defence exercise, rehearsing the defence of allied airspace and strikes against simulated enemy forces.

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Firework explosion on the water at dusk, long-exposure light trail over the dark sea.

American Marines open fire in the South China Sea

US Marines have carried out a live-fire drill defending the USS Portland in the South China Sea, as the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group operates in contested Indo-Pacific waters.
Crew member in a yellow safety vest pushes a grey F-35 fighter on a crowded aircraft carrier deck under a cloudy sky, cockpit canopy open nearby.

British aircraft carrier launches fighter jets in Arctic

F-35B stealth jets have embarked on HMS Prince of Wales as the carrier conducts NATO's Arctic Sentry vigilance in the North Atlantic, alongside HMS Duncan and RFA Tidespring.

Glen Rosa enters final dry dock at Greenock

Ferguson Marine has moved the dual-fuel ferry MV Glen Rosa into its second dry dock at Greenock for hull inspections, remedial work and painting, in what it calls a major step towards delivering the CalMac vessel by the final quarter of 2026.
A gray military warship sailing in calm, open sea as seen from above.

Yacht couple reject Russian frigate account of shots

The retired British couple whose yacht had warning shots fired near it by a Russian frigate in the Channel have rejected Moscow's claim they were on a "dangerous course", telling BBC Newsnight the Russian account is "simply not true".

Crowsnest replacement still on hold pending defence plan

The Royal Navy still has no firm successor to its Crowsnest carrier early warning system, with options including uncrewed aircraft remaining under investigation and any decision held up by the unpublished Defence Investment Plan.

AVIATION NEWS

Two gray fighter jets flying in formation across a blue sky.

NATO issues first nuclear statement in message to Moscow

NATO's Nuclear Planning Group has issued its first ministerial statement on nuclear deterrence since 2007, pledging to modernise nuclear capabilities and strengthen planning.
Six military aircraft flying in a loose formation across a cloudy sky.

American bombers ‘ready to strike’ over the North Sea

US Air Force B-1B Lancers, F-15E Strike Eagles and F-35A Lightning IIs flew together over the North Sea during Astral Knight 26, a major US air and missile defence exercise running across the United Kingdom.
Male news reporter in a dark suit and green tie speaks into a handheld microphone outside a glass-fronted building, with a row of international flags behind him.

Frozen Russian assets to fund UK drones for Ukraine

Britain will give Ukraine 150,000 drones and over 350 air defence missiles and radars in a GBP 752 million package funded from immobilised Russian assets, the Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis has announced in Brussels, where he also met President Zelensky.

UK and Europe push forward on building long-range strike

The United Kingdom and five European allies have agreed to move their joint long-range strike initiative from a planning effort into standalone delivery groups, accelerating work on a range of missiles, launchers and deep-strike systems.
Low-angle shot of a futuristic green aircraft parked on a wet runway at sunset, orange sky behind.

US Air Force orders uncrewed fighter into production

General Atomics has won a US Air Force production contract for the FQ-42A, a purpose-built uncrewed fighter designed to fly alongside crewed jets, one of the first aircraft to carry the new "FQ" designation for an uncrewed fighter.

LAND NEWS

Two men in dark suits speak at a NATO press conference with the American flag between them.

Hegseth presses NATO allies as US ramps up spending

The US Secretary of War Pete told NATO that some allies must still do more as he and Mark Rutte hailed the arrival of a harder-edged "NATO 3.0".
Assault rifle with scope and foregrip lying on weathered wooden planks.

Machine guns among the military’s missing firearms

The Ministry of Defence has disclosed that 23 firearms were recorded as lost or stolen over five years, including two general purpose machine guns and an SA80 rifle, though more than half were deactivated, airsoft or cadet weapons unable to fire live rounds.

Europe to backfill as US trims NATO force pledges

The United States has pledged fewer guaranteed forces to NATO's force model and asked European allies and Canada to take up the slack, in a shift a senior NATO official has insisted can be managed without leaving a significant gap.

NATO plays down UK plan delay but presses capability

Asked by the UK Defence Journal whether Britain's repeatedly delayed Defence Investment Plan is frustrating the alliance, a senior NATO official said what matters is not money but capability delivered on a clear path, with Russia potentially reconstituting.
Drone view of a military convoy-style vehicle on a dirt path with a soldier in camouflage standing nearby among grass and trees.

How IDV builds robots that can be reborn as tech advances

Defence platforms have a habit of arriving already out of date. IDV says it has built its uncrewed vehicles around that very problem, because the sensors and computing inside them roughly double in capability every eighteen months.

Features

Harland and Wolff's Belfast yard is undergoing a major overhaul under Navantia UK, with new steel-processing lines, upgraded facilities and workforce expansion aimed at supporting Fleet Solid Support and future naval construction.
We went behind the scenes at Thales UK’s optronics site in Glasgow, where the same people who build periscopes and sighting systems for the armed forces are also opening paths into engineering for young people across the city.

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