Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how the Defence Investment Plan will support the reduction of supply chain delays in the defence sector, including by addressing supply chain delays to the Challenger programme.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Investment Plan (DIP) will help reduce supply chain delays by providing industry with greater certainty over future demand, enabling investment in skills, capacity and infrastructure. The DIP is supported by wider procurement reforms and supply chain resilience initiatives that will improve forecasting, strengthen critical industrial capabilities, and allow Defence and industry to identify and mitigate risks before they affect programme delivery.
As I have previously acknowledged, the Challenger 3 Main Battle Tank has been impacted by some supply chain delays. However, the announcement of the DIP, including its commitment to completing Challenger 3, provides stability and certainty to industry working on the programme and will enable industry to sustain and invest in the people, skills, and materials needed to deliver the programme.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the number of US military firearms (a) lost and (b) stolen in the UK.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
While there may be a public interest in disclosing the number of losses and thefts, doing so would, or would be likely to prejudice capability, effectiveness of security arrangements, or the security of the US Visiting Forces. For these reasons it would not be appropriate to disclose this information. We have well established process which ensure all incidents are thoroughly investigated in partnership with the Ministry of Defence Police and/or Home Office Police Forces as appropriate.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, paragraph 31, what is the scope of machine-augmented intelligence fusion.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As the volume, range and speed of available information continue to increase, AI offers significant opportunities to augment existing intelligence processes. The Taskforce will establish AI systems capable of processing intelligence data quickly, with a high degree of assurance, to support operational decision-making, anomaly detection and predictive insights.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to implement a full life extension to the Type 45 fleet.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Investment Plan has allocated a specific funding line within this parliament to conduct a study on the transition between Type 45 and the Hybrid Navy Maritime Air Defence capability, including whether a life extension will be required. As previously stated, this will be assessed in 2027-28.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what does the partnership with Germany on the deep precision strike weapons entail.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK and Germany signed a Memorandum of Understanding in March 2026 which has enabled joint activities, including with industry, to align military requirements and invest in technical solutions under the Deep Precision Strike programme. The programme includes Stealthy Cruise and Hypersonic Glide Vehicle missile solutions. There is positive alignment between the UK and Germany on key programme parameters, including operational concepts and outline target in service dates into the 2030s. Joint UK and Germany teams are now focused on delivering the currently contracted technical work with industry as well as shaping follow on contracts, underpinned in the UK by the funding outlined under the Defence Investment Plan.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 6 of the Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, what is the current status of the Future Cruise/Anti-Ship weapon.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Stratus programme with our European partners continues to progress to schedule. Development of the weapons and sub-systems is maturing, and the programme will transition soon to its Demonstration Phase. The weapons systems are planned to be integrated variously to Typhoon, Rafale and selected naval platforms including the Royal Navy's Type 26 frigate.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when will the first test be for the STRATUS missile.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Stratus programme continually advances the technology readiness levels and system maturity through a combination of modelling, sub-system testing and trials. To date, the programme has completed testing of the airframe design, engine demonstration, warhead and seeker performance. The first full scale system tests are scheduled from 2028.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what contribution the UK will make towards the $50 billion in new defence procurements announced by NATO Allies in Ankara.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As part of our commitment to NATO First and delivering the capabilities needed to meet the alliance’s warfighting requirements, the UK announced several significant contributions towards defence procurement at the Ankara Summit. Notably the UK has played a leading role in coordinating the Deep Precision Strike initiative, which brings together 12 European Allies with an expected investment of over $50 billion over the next decade to develop advanced deep precision strike capabilities available to the Alliance. The UK’s contribution includes developing capabilities that strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defence posture through a commitment in the Defence Investment Plan to spend £3 billion on Deep Precision Strike capabilities by 2030. Notably, the UK has announced its intention to join the Precision Strike Missile programme, backed by £190 million in the Defence Investment Plan.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the range of a STRATUS missile.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As he will recall from his time as a Defence Minister, the operational range for the Stratus LO missile is classified information. However, the range is significantly greater than the Storm Shadow and Harpoon weapons that it is replacing.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many STRATUS missiles will his department procure in total.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As he will recall from his time as a Defence Minister, for operational and security reasons the Department does not make public the intended stockpile for the Stratus missiles.