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15 Jan 26. UK MoD faces budget constraints, defence chief warns. The UK’s most senior military officer has admitted that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will struggle to deliver all the current programmes and the desired capabilities set out in the Strategic Defence Review under planned budgets. Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, Chief of the Defence Staff, appeared before a session at the House of Commons Defence Committee, where he said that “we can’t do everything we would want to do” in the current budgetary context. The head of the military declined to comment on when the overdue Defence Industrial Plan would be released, which sets out where the money will go, or on a widely reported GBP28 billion shortfall in defence spending. In other news, Poland and the UK have agreed to increase collaboration on air defence following Russian drone incursions into the former’s airspace in September. Personnel from the two countries will undergo joint training in “virtual environments”, with some Polish personnel travelling to the UK under a UK-led NATO programme designed to bolster air and missile defence. (Source: Clarion)
13 Jan 26. UK and Poland agree enhanced missile defence and helicopter training cooperation. The UK and Poland’s ability to shoot down air and missile threats will be strengthened by deepened cooperation between the two countries.
- UK and Poland to enhance joint training to improve both countries’ ability to shoot down air and missile threats.
- Polish helicopter pilots and instructors to begin training in the UK this summer as part of deepening cooperation.
- Agreement comes as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer welcomes Polish President Karol Nawrocki to Downing Street.
The UK and Poland’s ability to shoot down air and missile threats will be strengthened by deepened cooperation between the two countries. The allies have agreed to explore the development and procurement of new capabilities to counter a range of air threats, as well as how to encourage the establishment of new manufacturing capacity in Europe. Under the agreement, the British and Polish militaries will train together in virtual environments to improve air defence coordination without the cost and danger of live exercises. The enhanced training will boost Euro-Atlantic security and will be delivered as part of the UK-led NATO initiative known as Delivering Integrated Air and Missile Operational Networked Defences (DIAMOND). The UK and Poland also agreed at today’s meeting in Downing Street between Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Polish President Karol Nawrocki to enhance their helicopter training cooperation. From this summer, the first of eight Polish military helicopter pilots will begin training in the UK under the NATO Flight Training Europe (NFTE) programme. They will be joined by two experienced Polish helicopter instructors who will be permanently stationed in RAF Shawbury for a full rotational tour. The pilots will undertake world-class helicopter training at RAF Shawbury, including advanced training to prepare them for their future roles flying attack helicopters.
Defence Secretary John Healey MP said: “The UK and Poland’s defence relationship has never been stronger. Standing strong on NATO’s eastern flank, Poland is a crucial ally for the UK in this era of rising threats. This new cooperation we have announced today will see more joint training and integration between our two militaries. It is another example of how the UK and Poland are stepping up to defend Europe and face down the threat from Putin. It comes as the UK defence budget is rising to record levels, with the biggest boost to defence spending since the Cold War, totalling £270bn this parliament alone. Poland is one of the UK’s strongest allies with over 350 British personnel currently deployed across Poland, and with British and Polish pilots flying together as part of NATO’s Eastern Sentry mission to protect Polish and NATO airspace.” UK-Polish defence industrial collaboration is deepening rapidly – worth around £8bn to the UK over the past three years, showcasing how defence is an engine for growth. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
11 Jan 26. 3,000 jobs at risk unless MoD signs helicopter order, sources say. Skilled workers at Leonardo Helicopters fear it will close Yeovil site if Ministry of Defence delays awarding contract. The UK’s last military helicopter factory must land a long-awaited order from the Ministry of Defence within the coming weeks to secure about 3,000 manufacturing jobs, industry sources suggest. Skilled workers at Leonardo Helicopters – the Italian owner of the former Westland factory in Yeovil, Somerset – fear the company will follow through on threats to close the facility at the end of March, if the UK military fails to place an order for new helicopters by that time. Leonardo was the only bidder for the UK’s £1bn “new medium helicopter” contract that was launched in February 2024, but delays in awarding the deal seem to have put the future of the factory at risk. The bid’s “best and final offer” expires in March. One source close to the process suggested the company needed to be told it had been awarded the deal by January if it was to meet the contract’s various deadlines. A delay until after March risks having to restart the whole process, as the price is dependent on Leonardo’s supply chain. “It’s critical at the moment,” the source said. In November, Leonardo’s chief executive, Roberto Cingolani, told investors he was negotiating with the MoD to try “to boost the collaboration with the UK government”, while in December he wrote to the defence secretary, John Healey, and threatened to scrap all investment in Britain, in a letter first reported by the Daily Telegraph. Cingolani described the new medium helicopter contract as “a cornerstone” of Leonardo’s UK strategy and added: “Any delay or cancellation in the programme award … would force a reevaluation of Leonardo’s UK presence, including investment in electronics and cyber security divisions.” The process has stalled despite ministers pledging to boost defence spending in light of the increased threat from Russia. The defence industry has become frustrated by the wait for the government’s promised defence investment plan, which was expected before Christmas. Sharon Graham, the general secretary of the Unite union, said: “Leonardo workers in Yeovil are looking over their shoulders wondering where the next order will come from while the government dithers and delays. This uncertainty must end by confirming the order for medium-lift helicopters.” (Source: Google/Guardian)
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Founded in 1987, Exensor Technology is a world leading supplier of Networked Unattended Ground Sensor (UGS) Systems providing tailored sensor solutions to customers all over the world. From our Headquarters in Lund Sweden, our centre of expertise in Network Communications at Communications Research Lab in Kalmar Sweden and our Production site outside of Basingstoke UK, we design, develop and produce latest state of the art rugged UGS solutions at the highest quality to meet the most stringent demands of our customers. Our systems are in operation and used in a wide number of Military as well as Homeland Security applications worldwide. The modular nature of the system ensures any external sensor can be integrated, providing the user with a fully meshed “silent” network capable of self-healing. Exensor Technology will continue to lead the field in UGS technology, provide our customers with excellent customer service and a bespoke package able to meet every need.
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