Latest News

Ministry of Defence building, London, UK. Credit: TK Kurikawa / Shutterstock

The UK government has released its long-awaited Strategic Defence Review (SDR), a document that identifies priority areas for Britain’s defence and security in the face of growing threats.

Amounting to nearly 140 pages and 45,000 words, the SDR constitutes a set of guidelines for navigating a fractured security environment over the next ten years, and outlines investment planning in the years ahead.

Amid significant anger in the House of Commons, the UK Parliament accused the sitting UK government of briefing mainstream media outlets ahead of the release, in direct contravention of parliamentary protocol.

Unexpectedly, the SDR stated an intent for the Royal Navy to operate up to 12 of the next-generation SSN AUKUS attack submarines, a far larger fleet than the seven Astute-class SSNs currently or soon to be in service.

Other commitments included a £1bn ($1.3bn) ‘digital targeting web’, a pledge to shift force structures to better operate in hybrid warfare environments, and the continued development of the GCAP sixth-generation fighter programme. 

The British Army no longer operates the AS90 155mm self-propelled howitzer (SPH), according an investigation by Global Defence Technology’s land domain news site Army Technology, with the UK’s sole 155mm artillery capability now maintained by a tiny fleet of Archer systems. 

It was earlier known that 32 AS90 artillery systems had been donated to Ukraine to assist the country in its ongoing war against Russia, from a remaining UK inventory of around 80 platforms.

The fate of the remaining approximate 50 units in the British Army was unknown, with no future announcement by the UK of additional AS90 donations to Kyiv.

Given that the British Army has no AS90s operational, there is a possibility that the entire fleet has been donated to Ukraine.

Increasingly outgunned by more modern counterparts, the AS90 SPH was still considered to be a viable fire support platform on the battlefield, although its firing range of around 25km is significantly lower than other 155mm artillery in Western service, which can fire out to 50km.   

Sweden will begin the process to augment its Visby-class corvettes with the Sea Ceptor system in 2026, introducing a missile-based air defence capability to the warships for the first time since they entered service in 2009.

Announcing the development, Swedish defence OEM Saab said it had been awarded the contract by the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) to equip the Swedish Navy’s five Visby-class corvettes with MBDA’s Sea Ceptor system.

The upgrade, valued at approximately Skr1.6bn ($166m), once completed will significantly enhance the Visby class’ air defence capability, with the CAMM-based Sea Ceptor able to intercept airborne threats at ranges in excess of 25km.

Saab said the FMV had previously placed an order for the Sea Ceptor air defence system with MBDA, with work to begin “in early 2026” to modify the Visby-class corvettes.

“With the air defence system on board, the Visby-class corvettes will continue to be a vital platform for many years to come,” said Mats Wicksell, head of Saab’s business area Kockums. 

Slovakia’s ongoing acquisition of legacy Black Hawks from the United States and the planned attainment of full operational capability (FOC) will be postponed until 2026, possibly longer.

The Slovak Air Force currently operates nine Mi-17 helicopters which the government acquired in 2002. The Russian-made platform comes in two versions: the M variant for conventional military operations, which comes in camouflage, as well as the search and rescue variant.

These platforms are due to be replaced by UH-60M and UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters, to be obtained from existing US military stock.

Based on information obtained by Global Defence Technology’s air domain news site Airforce Technology, it is understood that the force will not reach full operational capability (FOC) until 2026 at the earliest. Worse still, there is reason to believe that this may even extend to 2027.

It is understood that the Slovak Air Force still needs a common missile warning system (CMWS) and other systems across the legacy Black Hawks it has ordered. 

The Italian Ministry of Defence (MoD) is seeking industry solutions for the planned procurement of a new reconnaissance vehicle for the Italian Army, with the acquisition potentially reaching hundreds of platforms.

Indicated in a May tender notice, the Italian MoD said up to 600 new reconnaissance vehicles were to be acquired, with the initial deal worth €140m ($157.8m), although this could rise to over €300m with the inclusion of options and other supplies related to the deal.

At the conservative estimate, each of the Italian Army’s new reconnaissance platforms would cost €212,000 per unit, with industry required to provide a deposit of 2% of the value of the contract, according to the tender notice.

The Italian Army currently operates the four-person VBL Puma 4×4 in the armoured reconnaissance role, with 180 units delivered from 2003 onwards by Iveco Oto Melara, in addition to 380 of the 6×6 Puma as armoured personnel carriers.

However, the procurement of hundreds of new reconnaissance platforms indicates a replacement for the Puma 4×4 and 6×6 could be on the cards.