Scottish Defence Procurement & Supply Chain Summit 2026

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Defence shut out as overseas students fill UK courses

UK defence losing access to many engineering grads as overseas students dominate courses and often can’t obtain required security clearances.

Defence industry warns of paralysis as DIP delay bites

Britain's defence industry is holding back investment, recruitment and planning decisions while it waits for the long-delayed Defence Investment Plan, senior figures told the Scottish Affairs Committee on Wednesday.
Large modern parliamentary chamber with curved wood benches and black office chairs in rows.

Scottish Government policy freezing defence funding

Scotland's defence industry faces funding freezes and advertising bans that do not exist south of the border.

NEWSLETTER

NAVAL NEWS

New British warship project awaiting delayed DIP

The Royal Navy's future Type 83 destroyer programme remains under review, with no confirmed timeline for its outline business case, after the government today directed a parliamentary question to a January answer.

US Navy commissions 26th Virginia-class submarine

The US Navy commissioned USS Idaho (SSN 799), the 26th Virginia-class fast-attack submarine, during a ceremony at Naval Submarine Base New London, Connecticut on Saturday.

Stop-start procurement damaged shipbuilding skills pipeline

Decades of last-minute and stop-start defence procurement have hollowed out the shipbuilding skills pipeline in Scotland, senior industry figures told the Scottish Affairs Committee.
Large gray warship at sea with a tall central mast and sailors on the bow.

Rolls-Royce MT30 selected for Australian Mogami-class frigates

The Rolls-Royce MT30 marine gas turbine has been selected to power Australia's new fleet of up to 11 general-purpose frigates.

UK warship builder warns it may run out of British work

Babcock has warned there is currently no UK programme confirmed to follow the Type 31 frigate at Rosyth, with the company looking to export orders to sustain the workforce while calling on government to provide long-term contract certainty.

AVIATION NEWS

UK completes initial F-35B procurement

Lockheed Martin has delivered the 46th, 47th and 48th F-35B aircraft to the United Kingdom, fulfilling the initial procurement phase of the programme and completing the first contracted batch of jets for the UK.
Gray stealth jet flying over arid desert mountains, cockpit visible and tail marked TALON Q with registration on fuselage

Northrop Grumman swaps autonomy software mid-flight

Northrop Grumman has demonstrated a mid-flight swap of autonomy software on its Talon IQ testbed aircraft, transitioning between software from two different companies while maintaining continuous operational performance.

Defence industry warns of paralysis as DIP delay bites

Britain's defence industry is holding back investment, recruitment and planning decisions while it waits for the long-delayed Defence Investment Plan, senior figures told the Scottish Affairs Committee on Wednesday.

British jets scrambled as Russian drones at NATO border

British Typhoon jets were scrambled from Romania and authorised to engage Russian drones near the Ukrainian border in the early hours of Saturday morning, though both aircraft returned to base without firing.

UK rejects suggestion British jets downed Russian drones

UPDATED: The UK has clarified that both RAF Typhoons returned to base without engaging any targets, after Romania's Ministry of National Defence reported the jets were authorised to engage drones near the Ukrainian border and that multiple explosions subsequently followed.

LAND NEWS

New ammo factory feasibility studies yet to be contracted

The UK has confirmed that feasibility study contracts for six new munitions factories announced in 2025 have not yet been placed, with investment decisions not expected until the third quarter of 2026.

Defence shut out as overseas students fill UK courses

UK defence losing access to many engineering grads as overseas students dominate courses and often can’t obtain required security clearances.
Large modern parliamentary chamber with curved wood benches and black office chairs in rows.

Scottish Government policy freezing defence funding

Scotland's defence industry faces funding freezes and advertising bans that do not exist south of the border.
Lab scene with a technician in blue scrubs and mask at a workbench; foreground shows a medical device with red controls in focus elsewhere.

Defence workers being refused bank accounts

Defence workers are being refused bank accounts by challenger banks and defence firms cannot find landlords willing to rent them property, senior industry figures told the Scottish Affairs Committee on Wednesday.

UK declares Falklands sovereignty ‘steadfast and consistent’

The UK government has flatly rejected calls by the President of Argentina for renewed negotiations over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.

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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