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Large gray aircraft carrier on calm blue water with several helicopters on the flight deck and rocky coastline in the background, flags at the stern.

Eight amphibious ships to be built under UK-Dutch deal

British yards will build eight amphibious transport ships under the £2.4bn UK-Netherlands partnership, the MoD has confirmed, with four vessels each forming the backbone of a joint amphibious force.

UK to buy three mine hunting motherships

Britain will procure three offshore support vessels in conjunction with Norway under the next phase of the Mine Hunting Capability programme, the MoD has confirmed, providing motherships for its autonomous minehunting systems.

How the Royal Navy will train to fight with drones

The Defence Investment Plan commits the Royal Navy to a hybrid fleet of warships and uncrewed platforms, at Exercise Virtual Warrior, the officers responsible for training the fleet explained how they'll prepare sailors for a war that doesn't fully exist yet.

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NAVAL NEWS

UK withholds which warships will get new missiles

The MoD has declined on operational security grounds to say how many warships will be cleared to deploy the Naval Strike Missile by the end of 2026, having previously confirmed an eleven-ship plan and named vessels fitted.
A gray military naval scene with a large battleship and a rocket-armed vessel firing a missile through rough, stormy seas under dark clouds.

Construction date for drone warships currently undetermined

The Hybrid Fleet has no construction date attached to it just yet, with the earliest fixed marker being the arrival of the Common Combat Vessels from the early 2030s.

No numbers yet for Navy’s giant uncrewed submarines

The MoD has yet to decide how many Type 93 extra-large uncrewed underwater vessels it will build but confirming the platforms remain withijn the Atlantic Bastion programme.
Large gray aircraft carrier on calm blue water with several helicopters on the flight deck and rocky coastline in the background, flags at the stern.

Eight amphibious ships to be built under UK-Dutch deal

British yards will build eight amphibious transport ships under the £2.4bn UK-Netherlands partnership, the MoD has confirmed, with four vessels each forming the backbone of a joint amphibious force.

UK to buy three mine hunting motherships

Britain will procure three offshore support vessels in conjunction with Norway under the next phase of the Mine Hunting Capability programme, the MoD has confirmed, providing motherships for its autonomous minehunting systems.

AVIATION NEWS

Military mobile missile system on a truck with multiple vertical launch tubes, in a dry open area under a cloudy sky.

Sky Sabre doubling on track with deliveries from late 2026

The Army's Sky Sabre air defence force will double under a £350m investment, with Minister Luke Pollard adding that the programme is considering further enhancements to Sky Sabre capability beyond the doubling.

Bulk of £5.4bn Typhoon spend is maintenance and radar

£4.3bn of the Typhoon funding in the Defence Investment Plan covers routine maintenance and previously agreed radar upgrades, the MoD has confirmed, with the separate £1.1bn funding the extensive upgrade work to come.

UK to field offensive space squadrons in national first

The UK will field offensive space capabilities for the first time, operated by six new specialist space squadrons.

RAF autonomous fighter jet named Storm Fighter

The UK's Collaborative Combat Aircraft programme will be called Storm Fighter, Minister Luke Pollard has told #GlobalAirSpaceChiefs26.

Global Air and Space Chief Conference kicks off in London

More than 60 air and space chiefs have gathered in London for #GlobalAirSpaceChiefs26, with ACM Harv Smyth warning the environment is more volatile than in decades and telling delegates "you cannot surge trust".

LAND NEWS

Over 68,000 Ukrainian troops now trained in the UK

More than 68,000 Ukrainian personnel have completed military training in the UK under British-led programmes, the MoD has confirmed, four years on from the launch of Operation Interflex.

UK replacing tanks deployed in Estonia with drones

The UK armoured battlegroup in Estonia will be replaced by a Mobile Anti-Armour Force from April 2027, with troop numbers rising from around 800 to 1,200.
Two workers in hard hats and safety vests monitor a large metal-forming machine as an orange-hot metal bar passes through it in an industrial setting.

First British-made artillery barrels head to Ukraine

The first of 150 British-made artillery barrels are on their way to Ukraine, with Sheffield Forgemasters forging barrels in the UK for the first time in almost two decades.
Soldiers in camouflage gear and gas masks work outside a brick building, connecting a laptop to a portable power station.

UK to hold largest home defence exercise in decades

The United Kingdom will test its readiness for international hostilities affecting the homeland through the largest home defence exercise in several decades in 2027, the Government has announced.
Beige armored tracked vehicle on a road; a soldier stands on top while another signals at the front, in a wooded area behind.

BAE signs Polish deal towards local armoured vehicle build

A memorandum with WZM and HCP opens the door to producing the M88A2 recovery vehicle in Poland, building on last year's sustainment licence.

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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