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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.
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.

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.

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Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters to replaced by drones

The Defence Investment Plan sets out an autonomous replacement for the Royal Navy's Wildcat maritime helicopters and increasingly autonomous rotorcraft flying from frigates and destroyers, as the Fleet Air Arm shifts towards uncrewed flight.

Sweeney warns of Clyde job losses without new design deal

Paul Sweeney, Labour MSP and former Clyde worker, has warned that BAE Systems needs a new design contract within around eighteen months to avoid job losses.
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.

AVIATION NEWS

New jets confirmed for Red Arrows in Hawk replacement

The Red Arrows are to receive new jets to replace their ageing Hawk aircraft as part of a £360 million recapitalisation of the military's jet training system.
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.

LAND NEWS

Stone plaque reading MINISTRY OF DEFENCE with a crown crest, set against blue-toned financial charts and graphs in the background by overlay.

Almost a third of defence boost rests on autumn Budget

Almost a third of the gbp 15bn Defence Investment Plan, some 4.7bn, has yet to be pinned down and will only be settled at the autumn Budget.
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.

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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