Back to news

June 26, 2018 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR

Big reveal of UK modernization plan expected in Brussels

LONDON ― The British Ministry of Defence's Modernising Defence Programme, essentially a review of spending and capabilities, should start to see the light of day around the time of the July 11-12 NATO summit in Brussels.

British Prime Minister Theresa May could unveil the headline conclusions of the program at the summit, with the details to follow sometime in the future.

The fear is that without the government handing the military more money over the next decade, capabilities will be lost and procurement programs abandoned or delayed ― and in some instances, that is already happening.

The MoD has been battling for additional cash from the Treasury for months, but with the British government announcing June 18 plans to spend billions of pounds more on health over the next few years, the chances of defense getting any significant boost appears increasingly remote.

Instead the MoD will likely have to persevere with efficiency and other cuts to reduce a black hole in the 10-year equipment plan that the National Audit Office, the government's financial watchdog, said earlier this year could be unaffordable to the tune of between £4.9 billion and £20.8 billion (U.S. $5.7 billion and U.S. $24.1 billion).

The parliamentary Defence and Public Accounts committees are so worried about “severe“ budgetary pressures that they took the unusual step of jointly writing to the prime minister in early June to voice their concerns.

A June 18 report by the Defence Committee said that if the government wants to have the resources to keep the country safe, it “must begin moving the level of defence expenditure back towards 3% [from the current level of 2 percent] of GDP, as it was in the mid-1990s.”

https://www.defensenews.com/smr/nato-priorities/2018/06/25/big-reveal-of-uk-modernization-plan-expected-in-brussels/

On the same subject

  • UK: £293 million deal for Apache fleet

    January 18, 2019 | International, Aerospace

    UK: £293 million deal for Apache fleet

    The MOD has awarded a five-year, multi-million-pound deal to Leonardo Helicopters (UK) for the support of the existing fleet of 50 Apache attack helicopters. Defence Minister Stuart Andrew announced the £293 million contract with Leonardo Helicopters during a visit to the company's site in Yeovil where some of the vital work on the aircraft will take place. The Apache AH MK1 Integrated Operational Support (IOS) contract will maintain the fleet until it's out of service date in March 2024. The Apache MK1 is being incrementally replaced by the latest Apache AH-64E aircraft that will begin entering service with the British Army in 2022. The new AH-64E model will have improved sensors and avionics as well as greater performance that will enable the Army to sustain its battle-winning capabilities in future operations. Defence Minister Stuart Andrew said: The Apache has provided years of crucial battlefield support to UK and coalition troops in operations in Libya and Afghanistan. This multi-million-pound contract will ensure our Armed Forces continue to benefit from this vital capability as we integrate the latest Apache model into service in 2022. The IOS contract secured by Defence Equipment and Support, the MOD's procurement agency, includes deep maintenance, repair and overhaul of the MK1 aircraft as well as the provision of technical and spares support. The contract has been awarded in three tranches, to maintain value for money, with this latest investment covering the final five years of the fleet in service. Full article: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/293-million-deal-for-apache-fleet

  • ‘We missed our mark’: Next Boeing F-15EX delivery coming in November

    November 2, 2023 | International, Aerospace

    ‘We missed our mark’: Next Boeing F-15EX delivery coming in November

    Boeing's new timeline to deliver the next F-15EX comes nearly a year after the firm originally planned, and four months behind its revised estimate.

  • Policy bill backs new revenue streams for US Space Force launch ranges

    December 19, 2023 | International, Aerospace

    Policy bill backs new revenue streams for US Space Force launch ranges

    The NDAA includes a provision that allows the Space Force to collect additional fees from commercial companies that operate at its space launch ranges.

All news