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12 Feb 26. UK to make NMH decision before Leonardo’s offer expires in March, says minister. The UK government intends to make its long-awaited decision on the New Medium Helicopter (NMH) programme in the coming days, a senior minister said on 11 February. Debating the issue in the House of Commons, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Luke Pollard, said that the decision to acquire the AW149 from the last sole bidder Leonardo, or not, will be made before the Yeovil-based manufacturer’s current offer expires. This is due to happen in March.
“[The member of parliament for Yeovil, Adam Dance] is right that the best and final offer price has an expiry date, but we have committed as a government that we will not time out – that is, it will not simply fail at that point. We will make a decision ahead of that, as part of the work we are doing on the Defence Investment Plan [DIP],” Pollard said.
Janes first reported in January 2021 the MoD’s intention to launch the NMH competition. Formally commenced later that year, the GBP1 bn (USD1.4 bn) requirement to replace 23 Puma HC2s with “up to 44” new helicopters was initially downselected to the Airbus Helicopters H175M, Leonardo AW149, and Lockheed Martin S-70M Black Hawk (a previous element of the wider GBP1.2 bn requirement that included the replacement of three other helicopter types was earlier separated out). Both Airbus Helicopters and Lockheed Martin withdrew from the process in August 2024, with each saying they were unable to fulfil the requirement within the allotted budget, leaving Leonardo as the sole competing supplier. (Source: Janes)
11 Feb 26. UK steps up defence of Arctic and High North from rising Russian threats. During a visit to meet Royal Marine Commandos at Camp Viking in the Arctic Circle in northern Norway, the Defence Secretary will today confirm that the number of British troops deployed to Norway will double over three years from 1,000 to 2,000 personnel.
- British troops deployed to Norway to double over three years from 1,000 to 2,000 personnel.
- Defence Secretary confirms UK Armed Forces will play vital part in NATO Arctic Sentry mission, with military planning underway.
- Major Joint Expeditionary Force exercise, ‘Lion Protector’, will see air, land, and naval forces deploy across High North in 2026.
Arctic and High North security will be strengthened against rising Russian threats as Britain steps up its presence in the region. During a visit to meet Royal Marine Commandos at Camp Viking in the Arctic Circle in northern Norway, the Defence Secretary will today (Wednesday 11 February) confirm that the number of British troops deployed to Norway will double over three years from 1,000 to 2,000 personnel. It comes as the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) confirms major military activity in the High North this year. Taking place in September 2026, Exercise Lion Protector will see air, land, and naval forces from JEF nations train to protect critical national infrastructure from attacks and sabotage and enhance their joint command and control capabilities. Hundreds of personnel will deploy across Iceland, the Danish Straits and Norway, as JEF steps up to enhance deterrence and defence in the Arctic, High North, and North Atlantic. The Defence Secretary is also expected to confirm that UK Armed Forces will play their part in NATO’s Arctic Sentry mission, with detailed military planning at NATO underway. Healey will join Defence Ministers at NATO HQ on Thursday in Brussels to discuss the proposals. The government has committed to the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War – hitting 2.6% of GDP from 2027 – to ensure that Britain and our allies are safe.
Defence Secretary John Healey MP said:”Demands on defence are rising, and Russia poses the greatest threat to Arctic and High North security that we have seen since the Cold War. We see Putin rapidly re-establishing military presence in the region, including reopening old Cold War bases. The UK is stepping up to protect the Arctic and High North – doubling the number of troops we have in Norway and scaling up joint exercises with NATO allies.”
Cold Response and Lion Protector will this year see thousands of troops deploy across the Arctic and North Atlantic – with the UK leading the way. We train together, we deter together, and if necessary, we will fight together. 1,500 Royal Marine Commandos are deploying to Norway for NATO’s Exercise Cold Response taking place in March. The major military exercise across Norway, Finland and Sweden will enhance allied ability to defend strategically important locations across fjords and mountains.
This follows the historic Lunna House Agreement with Norway, signed in December, which will see the UK and Norway jointly operate a fleet of submarine-hunting Type 26 warships, expand joint Arctic training, and pre-position British military equipment in Norway to be better prepared for future crises.
The Strategic Defence Review also said that the UK should work to “improving NATO’s deterrence posture in Northern Europe and the High North.”
Russia’s growing activity across the Arctic, High North, and North Atlantic has changed the security picture for the region. The UK, with its 50 plus year history of operating in the Arctic, and through deep partnerships with allies including Norway, Sweden and Finland – will be at the centre of NATO’s northern response from day one. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
10 Feb 26. Europe braces as US returns to Munich Security Conference. The upcoming Munich Security Conference will take place during the worst transatlantic crisis for centuries as the US dons its imperial garb.
- The emergence of a New World Order resultant from a radical shift in US policy has left Europe geopolitically adrift
- China will seek to capitalise on the growing gap between the US and Europe, with its diplomatic Red carpet well-trod in recent weeks
- The risk perception of the US has worsened dramatically in the last 12 months, according to the Munich Security Index
Arriving as the harbinger of a New American Imperialism, the return of a US delegation led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio to the Munich Security Conference (MSC) later this week will form the theatrical centre of a debate beginning to shape the geopolitical future of Europe. China will make a pitch for Europe to shift away from Washington and continue a diplomatic blitz by Beijing attempting to separate London, Paris, and Berlin, from the US’ orbit. Beijing has already welcomed the leaders of the UK, France, and Finland, among others, in recent months. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will visit China at the end of February. This growing shift is perhaps an unintended consequence for US policy towards Europe, which was clearly laid out in the recent National Security Strategy. What will be even less palatable for the US, is a clear desire for many European countries to reduce their reliance on US military equipment. The European Union, along with the UK, are key markets for US defence suppliers, providing capabilities across the land, sea, air, and space domains. This will be a concern for US President Donald Trump, who wants to ensure Europe retains its need for American arms, a position no doubt mirrored by the US defence sector. What tone the US delegation will take is unknown, but its arrival in Europe will be met with much more scepticism than 12 months ago, when Vice President JD Vance shocked the world with an excoriating speech that cast the US’ commitment to Nato in doubt. (Source: army-technology.com)
06 Feb 26. New UK defence procurement plan due for April Fool’s release.
A new “segmented approach” will take effect from April Fool’s Day, capturing the persistent lack of transparency in government.
- The segmented approach to defence procurement will take effect from 1st April
- The government has continuously delayed its long overdue Defence Investment Plan (DIP) demonstrating a lack of transparency to industry of its investment intentions
- The date of the release captures the absurdity of the government’s long-time inertia at a crucial time, amid a high threat security environment
The UK’s defence readiness and industry minister Luke Pollard shared plans to implement the new “segmented approach” for defence procurement on April Fool’s Day this year. It is no secret that the government has been dragging its heels when it comes to providing a cost breakdown for all the things the Armed Forces need for the next ten years – whether that be a New Medium Helicopter or Army tactical communications, among other looming capability gaps. So implementing a new approach to defence acquisition on a holiday known for pranks and trickery truly captures the lack of transparency at the heart of a department struggling to make sense of its priorities. Parliamentarians have already publicly called on the government to offer “timely, accurate information to support effective scrutiny of defence acquisition, expenditure, and military capability”, a responsibility that has become “increasingly difficult” for MPs. This is particularly significant at a time when the UK is subject to hybrid warfare tactics on a daily basis by a number of state actors. One cannot help but invoke a little gallows humour.
What is the segmented approach?
The segmented approach will overhaul existing acquisition processes with a three-tier system which has faster timelines relative to the capability being purchased. Sometimes referred to as the “3-2-1” model, the new approach divides contracting timelines into three segments:
- Major platforms (ships, tanks, aircraft) to be contracting within two years
- Upgrades (communications, sensors, weapons systems) contracted within one year
- Rapid commercial innovation (software, AI, off-shelf drones) has a three month target
DIP delay
The government agreed to implement the segmented approach along with all 62 recommendations in the Strategic Defence Review last June. However, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has delayed the DIP time and again, first due in the summer, again toward the end of 2025, and now supposedly sometime in March 2026. But the government maintains that the type of procurement reform it conceives constitutes “the biggest shakeup to the MoD in over 50 years”. This deep level of reform seeks to speed up development cycles and cut down on what the government considers “waste”. But ministers have also repeated that the defence industry will drive the British economy and open defence up to emerging sectors like artificial intelligence, cyber, advanced connectivity technologies and semiconductors to empower the Armed Forces. Speaking to The Guardian, Pollard insisted there is more to reform than replacing obsolete platforms and equipment. And all this is made more difficult to finance while having to tackle 47 out of 89 major programmes that were “overbudget and delayed” under the previous government. Nevertheless, it does not change the fact that the UK cannot afford to wait months on end for new kit; especially when the number of available Royal Navy frigates can be counted on one hand while Russian naval platforms scour the North Atlantic. An ominous foretelling of the fiscal trouble to come was laid out to bare in a Defence Committee session last month, when Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton, revealed that there will be inevitable “tradeoffs” when it comes to allocating funds to priority programmes. But strangely, the MoD, clearly strapped for cash, is still brazen enough to reject any future procurement of its own Nightfall tactical ballistic missiles, a deep strike capability currently being built for and will be sent to Ukraine from 2027. In another subtle twist of irony, Pollard said the Nightfall rejection came down to the missile being too “high risk” despite claims that the new segmented approach will encourage a genuine risk appetite to drive progress. (Source: army-technology.com)
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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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