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Craig Langford

Craig Langford
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Trained as a mechanical engineer, Craig took an unconventional route into journalism, bringing with him a rare technical precision and analytical depth that continues to set his reporting apart.

MoD to tender five-year tanker vetting contract

The MoD is preparing to tender a five-year contract for the assurance vetting of ocean tankers carrying its fuel, worth an estimated £87,530 and running from February 2027. Two ships on long-term charter carry most of the requirement.

US posture review could reshape American presence in Europe

Former UK Defence Attaché to Moscow says the real question in the Pentagon's Europe review is not troop numbers, but which military jobs America keeps doing and which Europe must take on itself.
Tank advancing on a sandy field with dust, crew visible in the turret, evergreen trees in the background.

Three tank regiments, 190 tanks needed, 148 on order

Three tank regiments at 56 each, plus 22 for training. That is 190. Challenger 3 will deliver 148. A new paper by Robert Clark puts 3rd Division 42 tanks short and wants the order raised to 198 at £650mn.
Crew members in work gear secure a bright yellow torpedo-shaped device on a dock by the water, with cables and equipment around it.

AUKUS navies test seabed defence in Exercise Lanternfish

Royal Navy divers and hydrographic specialists have spent six weeks with US and Australian counterparts on Exercise Lanternfish, testing how the AUKUS partners detect and respond to threats to critical undersea infrastructure.
Blue military fighter jet with the number 02 flying over the calm ocean against a clear blue sky, navy-gray livery visible on the fuselage and tail insignia clearly shown.

NATO jets scrable to intercept Russian bombers over Baltic

Italian Eurofighters have scrambled from Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania to intercept two Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea, in the first such launch since Italy took over from France.

Airbus pays record £6.4m export controls settlement

Airbus Operations Limited has paid HMRC more than £6.4m after admitting multiple breaches of Strategic Export Controls, the largest compound settlement ever reached for strategic export offences.

BAE wins £135m Royal Navy torpedo support contract

The Torpedo Repair and Maintenance contract runs from July 2026 to June 2029 and covers both torpedo weapons in Royal Navy service, carried by submarines, surface warships and maritime patrol aircraft.

Six Common Combat Vessels, no design yet, a 2035 deadline

A new paper wants the CCV built on the existing Type 31 design to cut the risk and keep Rosyth working.
Naval warship at sea with a large explosion and fire on its side of the deck.

American assault ship hit by missiles, sinks in Pacific exercise

The US Navy has sunk the decommissioned amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu in a live-fire sinking exercise in the Pacific, using unmanned surface vessels and anti-ship missiles fired from a submarine, according to the US Navy.

Royal Navy to continue global port visits, minister confirms

The Royal Navy will continue to deploy warships globally and to exercise navigational rights including innocent passage, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed, following a question about visits such as that made by HMS Medway to Punta Arenas in Chile.