04 Mar 22. MOD and BEIS ministers face questions on Space Defence. On Tuesday 8 March, at 14.00, the Defence Committee will hold its final session in its inquiry into space defence, questioning James Heappey MP, Minister for the Armed Forces, and George Freeman MP, Minister for Science, Research and Innovation. The session will likely focus on steps that are being taken to protect the UK’s space assets in the face of growing threats from our adversaries and the increasingly congested space environment. The Committee will likely also discuss scope for collaboration on space with allies, such as NATO. The session will likely also explore the recently published Defence Space Strategy.
14.00, 8 March:
- James Heappey MP – Minister for the Armed Forces
- George Freeman MP – Minister for Science, Research and Innovation
- Air Vice-Marshal Harvey Smyth – Director Space, Ministry of Defence
- Rebecca Evernden – Director for Space, BEIS
House of Commons and House of Lords Hansard Written Answers
European Fighter Aircraft: Radar
Question for Ministry of Defence
Mr Kevan Jones
Labour
North Durham
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 18 of the National Audit Office’s report, The Equipment Plan 2021 to 2031, published on 21 February 2022, for what reason the decision was taken to exclude costs associated with the radar upgrade for Typhoon in the previous report.
Answer
Jeremy Quin
Conservative
Horsham
Commons
Answered on 3 March 2022
This year’s report shows a plan to balance costs and budget after a number of years in which the Department has reported a shortfall. Last year we reported that the Department faced a £7.3 billion shortfall. The shortfall meant that a number of important capabilities were not affordable within the Defence programme. The Integrated Review and the £16.5 billion increase in funding from the 2020 Spending Review have allowed the Department to address the shortfall and add equipment to the programme, including the radar upgrade. This addresses one of the key capability risks the NAO discussed in their previous 2020 report. The MOD’s 2021 equipment plan shows a breakdown of these measures.
Future Combat Air System
Question for Ministry of Defence
Mr Kevan Jones
Labour
North Durham
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 18 of the National Audit Office’s report, The Equipment Plan 2021 to 2031, published on 21 February 2022, for what reason the decision was taken to exclude costs associated with the Future Combat Air System in the previous report.
Answer
Jeremy Quin
Conservative
Horsham
Commons
Answered on 3 March 2022
Last year we reported that the department faced a £7.3 billion shortfall. The shortfall meant that a number of important capabilities were not affordable within the Defence programme. Future Combat Air System (FCAS) is an early stage programme and in the previous 2020 report only the initial technology initiative was funded. The Integrated Review and the £16.5 billion increase in funding from the 2020 Spending Review have allowed the department to address the shortfall and add equipment to the programme, including the next phase of the FCAS programme. This addresses one of the key capability risks the NAO discussed in their previous 2020 report and the MOD’s 2021 equipment plan shows a breakdown of these measures.
Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft: Repairs and Maintenance
Question for Ministry of Defence
Mr Kevan Jones
Labour
North Durham
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the length of time taken to construct support facilities for F-35b, as outlined the Defence and Equipment Plan, is connected with the Air Signature Assessment Facility.
Answer
Jeremy Quin
Conservative
Horsham
Commons
Answered on 3 March 2022
No.
Chinook Helicopters
Question for Ministry of Defence
Mr Kevan Jones
Labour
North Durham
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2022 to Question 114659 on Ministry of Defence: Assets, whether the Chinook Mk4 listed relates to the retirement of a single aircraft.
Answer
Jeremy Quin
Conservative
Horsham
Commons
Answered on 3 March 2022
The value attributed in the notification (£20.040 million ) reflects the residual balance sheet value of five Chinooks at their new retirement dates.
LE TacCIS Programme
Question for Ministry of Defence
Mr Kevan Jones
Labour
North Durham
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the costs of the Morpheus programme were excluded from the Equipment Plan.
Answer
Jeremy Quin
Conservative
Horsham
Commons
Answered on 3 March 2022
The costs of Morpheus programme are included in the equipment plan. The NAO’s recent equipment plan reporthighlights that the funding included in the 2021 equipment plan is less than cost modelling produced by the delivery agent based on earlier assumptions about the programme.
Artillery: Ammunition
Question for Ministry of Defence
Mr Kevan Jones
Labour
North Durham
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to introduce 59 calibre ammunition for the UK’s AS90 artillery.
Answer
Jeremy Quin
Conservative
Horsham
Commons
Answered on 3 March 2022
There are no plans to introduce 59 calibre ammunition for AS90.
Artillery
Question for Ministry of Defence
Mr Kevan Jones
Labour
North Durham
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK troops have fired AS90 in the past five years.
Answer
Jeremy Quin
Conservative
Horsham
Commons
Answered on 3 March 2022
It is not possible to accurately confirm how many soldiers have been involved in firing AS90 in the last five years. The UK has two AS90 Regiments and a training Battery that conduct annual live firing as part of their annual certification.
Shipbuilding
Question for Ministry of Defence
John Healey
Labour
Wentworth and Dearne
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what date he plans to publish the refreshed National Shipbuilding Strategy.
Answer
Jeremy Quin
Conservative
Horsham
Commons
Answered on 3 March 2022
The National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh will be published shortly.
Defence: Research
Question for Ministry of Defence
Chris Evans
Labour
Islwyn
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many projects so far have been funded by £6.6 billion committed to research, development and experimentation over the next four years in the defence command paper.
Answer
Jeremy Quin
Conservative
Horsham
Commons
Answered on 2 March 2022
The £6.6 billion research and development (R&D) ringfence announced as part of Spending Round (SR)20 and includes existing R&D spend across the defence programme in addition to the new investment totalling £1.1 billion over the SR period. This aims to implement a set of R&D pipelines which will address critical and enduring military capability challenges to deliver a decisive strategic edge for our armed forces now and in the future. This new investment consists of around seven programmes and 16 projects, including the following capabilities:
- Enhanced command and control
- Anti Submarine Warfare
- Multi Domain Integrated Swarms
- Directed Energy Weapons
- Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance
- Integrated Space
- Cyber Defence and Artificial Intelligence
Other defence-wide investment in R&D includes the Defence Innovation Fund which has funded over 60 projects this financial year, and R&D in support of the equipment programme such as Future Combat Air System.
Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft: Guided Weapons
Question for Ministry of Defence
Mr Kevan Jones
Labour
North Durham
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason SPEAR integration on the F-35b has been delayed.
Answer
Jeremy Quin
Conservative
Horsham
Commons
Answered on 2 March 2022
The scheduled delivery dates for METEOR and SPEAR 3 have been delayed owing to prioritisation in the overall F-35 development programme, managed by the US led F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO). SPEAR 1 (Paveway 4) has already been integrated on UK F-35B Lightning aircraft.
Antitank Missiles
Question for Ministry of Defence
Mr Kevan Jones
Labour
North Durham
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has any plans to restock the Army’s support of Main Battle Tank and Light Anti-tank Weapon, also known as NLAW.
Answer
Jeremy Quin
Conservative
Horsham
Commons
Answered on 2 March 2022
For Operational Security reasons, I cannot comment on stock numbers for Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapons (NLAW). However, I can assure you that we monitor stock availability for UK forces and take action, where required, to maintain appropriate stock levels.
AWACS: Costs
Question for Ministry of Defence
Mr Kevan Jones
Labour
North Durham
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the CDEL costs on the purchase of the E-7 Wedgetail has not changed despite the programme reprofiling.
Answer
Jeremy Quin
Conservative
Horsham
Commons
Answered on 2 March 2022
The data tables in the Project Performance Summary Table (PPST) that accompanies the Defence Equipment Plan are a snapshot as at 31 March 2021, and the decision announced in the Integrated Review to reduce the fleet size from five aircraft to three had not been formally enacted in the MOD’s cost forecasting system at that point. The new forecast is currently being finalised ahead of the PPST22 data capture and the Defence Equipment Plan for 2022 will show the new reduced figure.
Defence Equipment: Ukraine
Question for Ministry of Defence
Andrew Rosindell
Conservative
Romford
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to provide defensive military equipment to Ukraine.
Answer
James Heappey
Conservative
Wells
Commons
Answered on 2 March 2022
In light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and in line with our previous support and with our partners and allies, the UK will provide further defensive equipment to Ukraine. This will build on previous capabilities delivered to Ukraine and could include lethal aid in the form of defensive weapons, and non-lethal aid such as body armour and helmets.
Cameroon: Air Force
Question for Ministry of Defence
Claudia Webbe
Independent
Leicester East
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Minister for the Armed Forces had discussions on Marshall Aerospace’s contract with the air force of Cameroon on his visit to that country in 2021.
Answer
James Heappey
Conservative
Wells
Commons
Answered on 2 March 2022
I did not discuss the Marshall Aerospace maintenance contract during my visit in 2021.
Russia: Ukraine
Question for Ministry of Defence
Lord Empey
Ulster Unionist Party
Life peer
Lords
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the long term security implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; and what amendments they assess are required to the UK’s defence posture and capabilities as a consequence.
Answer
Baroness Goldie
Conservative
Life peer
Lords
Answered on 1 March 2022
Through his reckless actions, President Putin has severely damaged Russia’s international reputation for many years to come. The UK’s defence posture, deployments, and capabilities will continue to evolve, building on the work already set out in the 2021 Integrated Review. Alongside Allies and partners, we will ensure that we meet the challenges posed by President Putin.
European Fighter Aircraft: Contracts
Question for Ministry of Defence
Mr Kevan Jones
Labour
North Durham
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the total value of savings from the TyTEN Typhoon support contract since its commencement.
Answer
Jeremy Quin
Conservative
Horsham
Commons
Answered on 28 February 2022
It is estimated that the TyTAN Typhoon support contract will save £1.2 billion across 10 years up to 2026. From that saving, over £500 million will be invested back into Typhoon capability development.
Chinook Helicopters
Question for Ministry of Defence
Mr Kevan Jones
Labour
North Durham
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2022 to Question 114659 on Ministry of Defence: Assets, what his timescale is for retiring the Chinook M4 capability.
Answer
Jeremy Quin
Conservative
Horsham
Commons
Answered on 28 February 2022
There are now no Mk4 aircraft remaining in the current Chinook fleet. The Chinook fleet consists of Chinook Mk5, Mk6 and Mk6a aircraft. Some of the Chinook Mk6a aircraft were previously Mk4 prior to their upgrade.
Defence: Artificial Intelligence
Question for Ministry of Defence
John Healey
Labour
Wentworth and Dearne
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he will publish a defence artificial intelligence strategy.
Answer
Jeremy Quin
Conservative
Horsham
Commons
Answered on 28 February 2022
The strategy is well advanced, and we expect to publish in the first half of 2022.
Mali: Peacekeeping Operations
Question for Ministry of Defence
Holly Mumby-Croft
Conservative
Scunthorpe
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of French troops’ withdrawal from Mali on British forces deployed there; and what additional assistance is being provided to those British forces in response to that withdrawal.
Answer
James Heappey
Conservative
Wells
Commons
Answered on 28 February 2022
We have been supporting the French Counter Terrorism Operation BARKHANE since July 2018 through provision of a CH47 Support Helicopter detachment. As the French mission concludes, so will the UK’s contribution to it.
The UK’s continued support to the United Nations MINUSMA mission is still being considered. Some critical enablers for the UK’s continuation sit with the French force. We are discussing with other European allies whether these can be replaced.
Guided Weapons: Electronic Warfare
Question for Ministry of Defence
Mr Kevan Jones
Labour
North Durham
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of funding plans to develop an electronic warfare variant of the SPEAR 3 missile.
Answer
Jeremy Quin
Conservative
Horsham
Commons
Answered on 28 February 2022
Defence endorsed the requirement for an Electronic Warfare variant missile. We have completed a Technology Demonstration Programme on this capability with our industry partners and funding for the next stage of development has been assessed.
LE TacCIS Programme
Question for Ministry of Defence
Mr Mark Francois
Conservative
Rayleigh and Wickford
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Battlefield Management Application for the Morpheus programme has been successfully delivered to his Department.
Answer
Jeremy Quin
Conservative
Horsham
Commons
Answered on 28 February 2022
No it has not. The current timelines for Battlefield Management Application delivery are currently under review as they are interdependent with the delivery of the Evolve to Open (EvO) programme.
Challenger Tanks
Question for Ministry of Defence
John Healey
Labour
Wentworth and Dearne
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he held discussions with the NATO Secretary General before announcing plans to reduce Challenger tank numbers by a third in the Defence Command Paper.
Answer
James Heappey
Conservative
Wells
Commons
Answered on 28 February 2022
The Secretary of State for Defence spoke with the NATO Secretary General on March 17 2021 ahead of the Defence Command Paper’s publication on March 22. In this call the Secretary of State set out how the planned upgrades to Challenger would make it one of the most lethal and capable tanks in Europe, enabling heavy brigades configured for divisional warfighting.
Estonia: Challenger Tanks and Warrior Armoured Vehicle
Question for Ministry of Defence
John Healey
Labour
Wentworth and Dearne
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Challenger 2s and (b) Warrior armoured vehicles are deployed in Estonia as of 23 February 2022.
Answer
James Heappey
Conservative
Wells
Commons
Answered on 28 February 2022
As of 23 February 2022, there are 43 Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicles and 18 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks deployed in Estonia. A further five Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicles and six Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks are currently in transit to Estonia, scheduled to arrive on 25 February 2022.
Army
Question for Ministry of Defence
John Healey
Labour
Wentworth and Dearne
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his timeframe is for the planned warfighting division to meet (a) initial and (b) full operating capability.
Answer
James Heappey
Conservative
Wells
Commons
Answered on 25 February 2022
The British Army already has a warfighting Division, the 3rd(UK) Division, with Challenger 2 and Warrior as its core capabilities. Future Soldier will see this Division modernised by 2030 with a variety of new capabilities built around a digitally networked combination of Ajax, Boxer, Challenger 3, AH64E, long range, precision fires and un-crewed aerial systems.
Dstl
Question for Ministry of Defence
Chi Onwurah
Labour
Newcastle upon Tyne Central
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2022 to Question 116930, on Dstl: Newcastle upon Tyne, what the budget of the Science and Technology Experimentation Hub will be; what proportion of the £6.6 billion investment will be spent outside the Greater South East; and who the innovation partners are that that hub will partner with.
Answer
Jeremy Quin
Conservative
Horsham
Commons
Answered on 25 February 2022
The Spending Review 2020 provided a ring fenced £6.6 billion minimum investment in Defence Research and Development for the four years of the settlement. Defence is committed to continue increasing its R&D footprint outside the Greater South East, as explained within the Levelling Up White Paper,. This also forms part of the implementation of the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy.
Dstl Newcastle is a new, strategically located S&T Hub specialising in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science. It will allow Dstl to recruit and develop local expertise, and enhance its ability to access skills and expertise within Industry and Academia across the North East. Locally based innovation organisations such as the National Innovation Centre for Data (NICD) and the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), will support Dstl’s objectives by enhancing its understanding of the opportunities offered by innovation in data both in the North East and across the country.
The Dstl Newcastle Hub does not have a separate budget to that of its parent Division within Dstl; it will provide an additional route by which Dstl will deliver investment in AI and Data Science over the next four years.
Defence: Research
Question for Ministry of Defence
Chris Evans
Labour
Islwyn
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much and what proportion of the £6.6 billion committed to research, development and experimentation over the next four years in the Defence Command Paper of 2021 has been committed to future projects.
Answer
Jeremy Quin
Conservative
Horsham
Commons
Answered on 25 February 2022
Supplementary estimates were published on 22 February 2022 which show our current in-year (financial year 21/22) forecast of £1.5 billion on capital research and development.
Estonia: Army
Question for Ministry of Defence
John Healey
Labour
Wentworth and Dearne
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which additional regiments will be situated in Estonia as a result of the Government’s commitment to double the number of UK armed forces personnel in that country.
Answer
James Heappey
Conservative
Wells
Commons
Answered on 25 February 2022
The current ‘steady state’ number of troops in Estonia is 900 from the Royal Tank Regiment (RTR). RTR will remain deployed when 1 Royal Welsh arrives in March. The total numbers during this period will be 1,000.
Artillery: Procurement
Question for Ministry of Defence
Chris Evans
Labour
Islwyn
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much and what proportion of the £800 million committed to a new automated mobile fires platform in the next ten years in the Defence Command Paper of 2021 has been committed to future projects.
Answer
Jeremy Quin
Conservative
Horsham
Commons
Answered on 25 February 2022
Around £166K was spent on the Mobile Fires Platform (MFP) project between February 2021 and January 2022. As the MFP project is still in the Concept Phase, the remainder of the £800 million provisioned has yet to be committed to future projects.
NATO
Question for Ministry of Defence
John Healey
Labour
Wentworth and Dearne
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Government’s priorities are for NATO’s 2022 strategic concept.
Answer
James Heappey
Conservative
Wells
Answered on 25 February 2022
At the June 2021 NATO Summit, leaders agreed to develop an updated Strategic Concept for the Alliance, to be endorsed at the 2022 Summit in Madrid. They agreed that the next Strategic Concept should refresh the Alliance’s approach to its three core tasks of collective defence, crisis management and co-operative security. It should also consider the current strategic environment and guide the ongoing adaptation of the Alliance.
The last Strategic Concept was agreed in 2010, and is the product of a different global context. The next Strategic Concept needs to reflect the new reality of systemic competition, and its implications for the Euro-Atlantic area, as set out in the 2021 Integrated Review. (The Concept needs to ensure that the Alliance:
(i) stays strong and united, focused on keeping our people free and secure, and acting as a pillar for freedom, openness, and the rules-based international order;
(ii) continues its modernisation, with a focus on speedy adoption of advanced technologies;
(iii) strengthens its political and military tools, and better integrates its activity and capabilities;
(iv) continues to develop its resilience, including against hybrid threats;
(v) reinforces Allies’ enduring commitment to invest 2% of GDP in defence. The UK has locked in a 0.5% above inflation increase to our defence budget and an additional investment of £16.5 million over the next four years).
Ajax Vehicles
Question for Ministry of Defence
John Healey
Labour
Wentworth and Dearne
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has held discussions with NATO on contingency plans if Ajax fails to enter service by the middle of this decade.
Answer
Jeremy Quin
Conservative
Horsham
Commons
Answered on 24 February 2022
The UK works closely with NATO on our Capability Targets. As discussed in the recent bilateral meeting with NATO at the end of January. The Ministry of Defence remains able to meet its obligations to NATO, and will continue to update our partners on AJAX as the programme develops as part of our routine engagements
Ajax Vehicles: Procurement
Question for Ministry of Defence
John Healey
Labour
Wentworth and Dearne
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, by what date has the Government told NATO that the Ajax vehicle would reach full operational capacity.
Answer
Jeremy Quin
Conservative
Horsham
Commons
Answered on 24 February 2022
In bilateral meetings at the end of January, NATO were informed that the date for AJAX’s full operating capability remains under review pending the resolution of technical challenges within the programme. The revised schedule out to full operating capability will be confirmed following resolution of these challenges. The UK will continue to be transparent with NATO about our capability development schedule.