Interior of a ship bridge simulator showing panoramic harbor screens and multiple navigation consoles.

VR bridge simulator boosts Royal Navy training capacity

Royal Navy sailors are rehearsing Hormuz transits and Russian sub hunts in a VR bridge simulator built by Portsmouth firm Metaverse VR, technology Capita says has doubled the Navy's navigation training capacity.
Two gray fighter jets flying in formation across a blue sky.

New F-35As not bought for nuclear role, says Beck

The 12 F-35As the UK is planning to operate are being bought for the conversion unit rather than the NATO nuclear mission, AVM Jim Beck has told #GlobalAirSpaceChiefs26.

New Chinook buy to sustain UK heavy lift beyond 2040

A second Chinook buy will sustain UK heavy lift beyond 2040, the MoD says, though lift capacity faces a temporary dip while older fleets are replaced.
Three military fighter jets parked on a concrete airstrip with their shadows visible on the tarmac, seen from above.

Anduril’s FQ-44 drone fighter moves into production

The U.S. Air Force has selected Anduril for the production phase of its Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, with the company set to deliver an initial batch of production FQ-44 semi-autonomous fighter aircraft.

Drone fighters expected to help defend UK skies in 2030s

Collaborative Combat Aircraft will augment Typhoon and F-35 in the air defence of the UK, the MOD says.
Small orange propeller airplane in flight over a blurred grassy landscape, viewed from the side.

UK awards Europe’s first low-cost drone interceptor deals

Three British SMEs will develop low-cost air defence effectors under a five-nation programme, with the UK the first partner to put suppliers on contract.

Defence and aerospace add £46.8bn to UK economy, ADS says

A two-thirds rise in a decade takes the combined sectors past £46 billion in value added, with defence turnover up 66 per cent, new figures show.

UK F-35 deliveries to pause until the early 2030s

The next batch of F-35 jets for the UK, including all 12 F-35As, will not begin arriving until the early 2030s.

MOD and Treasury clashed over helicopter deal

The Ministry of Defence and the Treasury gave conflicting public signals over the £1 billion New Medium Helicopter contract earlier this year, a select committee member has said.

UK details billions in upgrades to Typhoon fighter jets

New radar, communications, defensive aids and an upgraded helmet sight for 107 Typhoon jets are covered by the Defence Investment Plan's Typhoon spending, MPs have been told.