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Gray military fighter jet in a hangar on transport pallets, with a red protective cover over the intake and maintenance equipment nearby.

Storm Shadow on way out in favour of cheaper missiles

Britain is to move away from the Storm Shadow cruise missile that has armed its jets for a quarter of a century, pivoting to a new generation of cheaper cruise missiles.

UK green lights three huge floating submarine repair docks

The UK has committed to three floating docks under Programme EUSTON, one more than previously planned, easing the out-of-water maintenance shortage behind the submarine availability crisis.
Grey naval warship at sea fires a missile from its launcher, with a helicopter on the aft deck and waves splashing nearby (hull number T31).

British Type 31 Frigates to get powerful anti-ship missile

The Defence Investment Plan confirms funding to bring the Type 31 frigates into service and arm them with Mk 41 launchers and Norway's Naval Strike Missile, plus new gun ammunition to defeat drones and surface threats.

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NAVAL NEWS

Man in a dark gray sweater stands outdoors at a shipyard with a large blue gantry crane in the background.

Dunfermline MP urges Common Combat Vessel work for Rosyth

Graeme Downie, the MP for Dunfermline and Dollar, has welcomed the commitment to a new Common Combat Vessel and pressed for it to be based on the Type 31 frigate being built in Rosyth.
A large gray aircraft carrier cutting through rough seas, hull number RO8, with two small airborne objects (drones) flying nearby.

UK carriers to get drone fighters and early warning craft

The Defence Investment Plan commits to Project PANTHEON to build a Hybrid Carrier Air Wing, with jet-powered drones trialled under Project VANQUISH to fly alongside the F-35B and an autonomous early warning system for the carriers.

Two more Type 23 Frigates being retired soon

The Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard, has confirmed that the Defence Investment Plan retires two more Type 23 frigates, part of a phased withdrawal of the ageing class running up to 2033 as new ships come into service.

Britain confirms plan to build 12 new nuclear attack subs

The Defence Investment Plan commits the UK to building up to twelve next-generation SSN-AUKUS attack submarines, the same boats Australia will build, with steel to be cut on the first at Barrow next year.

UK green lights three huge floating submarine repair docks

The UK has committed to three floating docks under Programme EUSTON, one more than previously planned, easing the out-of-water maintenance shortage behind the submarine availability crisis.

AVIATION NEWS

Silhouetted soldiers with gear and rifles against a dusky sunset, one with a helmet-mounted device.

Britain to boost elite special forces with uplift

The Defence Investment Plan gives the UK's Special Forces a 12 percent funding uplift over four years and equips its high-readiness troops, 16 Air Assault Brigade and the Commando Force, with new communications, drones and night-vision kit.

UK commits to ‘future’ of long range strike capability

The Defence Investment Plan invests GBP 1.4bn in the Stratus missile to arm Typhoon jets and the Navy's new frigates in cooperation with France and Italy, naming it the future of UK complex weapons.
Gray military fighter jet in a hangar on transport pallets, with a red protective cover over the intake and maintenance equipment nearby.

Storm Shadow on way out in favour of cheaper missiles

Britain is to move away from the Storm Shadow cruise missile that has armed its jets for a quarter of a century, pivoting to a new generation of cheaper cruise missiles.

RAF to retire Shadow spy plane fleet to make way for drones

The RAF Shadow R1 surveillance aircraft are among older ISR platforms to be retired under the Defence Investment Plan, with the MoD planning to hand much of the role to uncrewed systems over time.

Britain confirms funding for new sixth gen fighter jet

The Defence Investment Plan confirms £8.6bn over four years for the Global Combat Air Programme, the next-generation fighter Britain is building with Japan and Italy, funding its concept and design phases.

LAND NEWS

Neoclassical government building with a Union Jack flag, beside a ship under construction and a crane in a dockyard scene.

Treasury sets out defence boost funding gap

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has told Parliament how the government will fund the £15bn Defence Investment Plan, reallocating capital budgets across Whitehall and £4.7bn still to be confirmed at the autumn Budget.

Army Wildcat helicopter to be retired

The Army's Wildcat battlefield reconnaissance helicopters will begin leaving service from 2027, with the MoD saying uncrewed systems will take over the job of scouting ahead of friendly lines.

Rutte meets Trump ahead of Ankara NATO summit

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has met US President Donald Trump at the White House to prepare for the alliance's summit in Ankara next month.
Soldiers in camouflage deploy from an armored vehicle as white smoke billows nearby.

Singapore firm to win UK 40mm grenade deal

A Singapore-based manufacturer, ST Engineering Advanced Material Engineering, is to sign a contract worth almost GBP 66 million to supply the British military with 40mm grenades, according to a contract award notice.

British Army fields 10,000 drones in six months

The British Army has invested GBP 300 million in attritable and consumable systems over the past six months, placing 10,000 small drones into soldiers' hands, the UK Defence Journal understands.

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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