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UK Ministry of Defence building, Whitehall, London. Credit: Alex Segre/Shutterstock.com

The UK’s Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said a further increase in UK defence spending will be “necessary” according to its latest fiscal outlook for the country.

While the claim could easily be dismissed at first, the assertion diverts from the government’s longstanding view of defence expenditure as a minimal insurance premium. Now, the “uncertain… geopolitical situation” necessitates additional funds, particularly amid the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

British forces are only engaged defensively, having announced plans to deploy a Type 45 air defence destroyer, HMS Dragon, and two Wildcat helicopters to Cyprus. The frequency of national responses like this one will only increase operational costs that come with such a deployment.

The Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her Spring Forecast to Parliament on 3 March, expressing pride for having presided over “the biggest uplift in defence spending since the Cold War”.

However, a tug-of-war between the Treasury and the Ministry of Defence has resulted in the publication of the long-delayed Defence Investment Plan, prompting fears that real-terms cuts – not increases – are on the way.

Northrop Grumman and the US Department of the Air Force (DAF) have finalised an agreement to increase manufacturing capacity for the next-generation stealth bomber B-21 Raider.

The agreement seeks to increase the annual production of the bomber fleet by 25%, utilising $4.5bn in funding previously authorised and appropriated under fiscal year 2025 reconciliation legislation, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”

According to the US Air Force, the agreement will compress the planned delivery schedule for the aircraft without altering approved budgets or performance requirements. Production of the B-21 Raider remains on track, with aircraft delivered in 2025 and deployment at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota in 2027.

In September last year, the Department of the Air Force received its second B-21 test aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base in California, where flight testing is currently underway.

Developed specifically for long-range, penetrating strike missions, B-21 Raider is built to function in challenging operational environments and target heavily defended sites.

The UK Government has finally selected Leonardo UK to provide its AW149 platform to fulfill the New Medium Helicopter (NMH) requirement in a £1bn ($1.35bn) deal.

Emblematic of the chaos surrounding Main Building at the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), rumours that the UK Government was on the verge of awarding a critical military helicopter deal were rife at the end of February.

Speaking in the days before the announcment, an MoD spokesperson said the NMH programme was “ongoing” and “no final procurement decisions” had yet been made.

However, this appeared to either be misdirection, or else the final decision was made over a weekend when Iranian missiles began raining down across the Middle East, as the hours ticked by ahead of the 1 March deadline for Leonardo’s best and final offer.

In the 2 March announcement of the deal, the UK Government said Leonardo would provide 23 new AW149 medium-lift helicopters manufactured as its Yeovil site, which could in future work alongside the Proteus uncrewed system being developed at the same location.

The French Navy’s fourth of six Barracuda-class nuclear attack submarines, SSN De Grasse, has conducted its initial sea trial on 24 February 2026. Naval Group oversees the design, construction, and production of primary components for the six submarines.

SSN De Grasse, scheduled for delivery later in 2026, will proceed through further evaluations to assess its performance. Since its launch in May 2025, the boat has undergone work dockside and saw its nuclear reactor commissioned in December 2025.

The commencement of sea trials represents a significant development in the ongoing Barracuda programme, according to Naval Group. The first two submarines from the class – SSN Suffren and SSN Duguay-Trouin – entered active service in June 2022 and April 2024, respectively.

Naval Group handed over the French Navy’s third submarine, SSN Tourville, to the Directorate-General for Armaments in November 2024. The vessel entered active service in July 2025.

Meanwhile, construction continues on the remaining two vessels, SSN Rubis and SSN Casabianca, for the French Navy.

BAE Systems has received a contract valued at over $500m to supply more M109A7 Paladin Self-Propelled Howitzers (SPH) and M992A3 Ammunition Carriers to the US Army.

Awarded in December last year, the contract is intended to meet the operational needs of the Army, with a focus on its Armored Brigade Combat Teams (ABCTs).

The M109A7 is the latest model in the BAE Systems M109 series and features a digital fire control system known as the “digital backbone,” along with updated technology designed to support indirect fire missions for ABCTs.

The vehicle is operated by a crew of four and measures 9.7 metres (m) in length, 3.9m in width, and 3.3m in height. Weighing a maximum of 35,380 kilogrammes, it is among the lightest tracked self-propelled howitzers on the battlefield.

While artillery appears to be in the process of being replaced as the most lethal capaiblity on the battlefield by massed use of drones, global demand remains strong. The M109 series has been widely exported, including to Europe and the Middle East.