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Is this America’s next fighter jet over Area 51?
A thermal image said to have been captured at night near the secretive Groom Lake base appears to show an unfamiliar aircraft with a cranked-kite planform, prompting speculation online that it could be a demonstrator linked to the US Air Force F-47 fighter.
Claim on defence spending with UK firms questioned
The Ministry of Defence's headline claim that the bulk of its contracts are placed with UK-based businesses has been questioned by industry, which says the figure depends on what counts as a British company.
UK training for Ukraine shifts to specialist skills
Operation Interflex, the UK-led programme that has trained more than 63,000 Ukrainians since 2022, is entering a new phase moving away from mass infantry training towards specialist areas including aviation, medical, engineering and logistics.
NAVAL NEWS
British guns on US ships but few British ones, MPs told
A British firm's naval guns are fitted to almost all US Navy and Coast Guard ships but hardly any Royal Navy vessels, the Treasury Committee has heard, in an example of domestic capability the UK is said to be overlooking.
No firm in-service date for HMS Venturer
The first Type 31 frigate, HMS Venturer, is still only committed to being handed to the Royal Navy "by the end of the decade", a defence minister has said, declining to give a firm initial operating capability date.
UK yet to board any shadow fleet vessels
No Russian shadow fleet vessel has been boarded in British waters since the government took the power to do so, with the Ministry of Defence declining to give any figures.
Covenant legal duty does not cover RFA staff, minister says
The Armed Forces Covenant does not extend to Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel, a defence minister has said, though some who have served on operations may be considered in its spirit.
Navantia installs new cutting line in Methil upgrade
Navantia UK has installed a new plasma cutting line at its Methil yard in Fife as part of a GBP 27 million investment in the site, with the shipbuilder reporting a growing workforce and a recently delivered transport barge for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
AVIATION NEWS
Russian military flights near UK rising, defence chief says
The head of the British military has said Russia has flown as many long-range strategic aircraft near the UK's northern approaches so far in 2026 as it did in the whole of 2025, in remarks warning that the country faces its most dangerous period since the Cold War.
Britain’s plan for 7000 new long range weapons still waiting
A year after the Strategic Defence Review pledged up to 7,000 new long range weapons, the commitment still has no published timeline, because the plan meant to translate it into firm orders has yet to appear.
US Marine Corps retires its last Harrier jump jets
The United States Marine Corps has retired the AV-8B Harrier II, bringing to a close more than four decades of service for the distinctive jump jet.
Is this America’s next fighter jet over Area 51?
A thermal image said to have been captured at night near the secretive Groom Lake base appears to show an unfamiliar aircraft with a cranked-kite planform, prompting speculation online that it could be a demonstrator linked to the US Air Force F-47 fighter.
Chinese student admits photographing US military jets
A University of Glasgow aeronautical engineering student has pleaded guilty in the United States to photographing military aircraft at a Nebraska air base.
LAND NEWS
Starmer sets release deadline for Defence Investment Plan
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed that the government's long-awaited Defence Investment Plan will be published before the NATO Summit in July.
Britain set to award AI military decision-support contract
The Ministry of Defence intends to place a contract for the prototyping of an artificial intelligence decision-support capability, known as Project Strong.
Claim on defence spending with UK firms questioned
The Ministry of Defence's headline claim that the bulk of its contracts are placed with UK-based businesses has been questioned by industry, which says the figure depends on what counts as a British company.
UK training for Ukraine shifts to specialist skills
Operation Interflex, the UK-led programme that has trained more than 63,000 Ukrainians since 2022, is entering a new phase moving away from mass infantry training towards specialist areas including aviation, medical, engineering and logistics.
Future of Army Reserve training at Grantham unresolved
The Ministry of Defence has said it cannot yet confirm how Army Reserve basic training will be delivered once the Grantham barracks closes, or what any change would cost, pointing to a review of training across the UK due to report in autumn 2026.
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