Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of the Capability Drop 3 Ajax-family vehicles that have undergone acceptance testing by the Joint Acceptance Group required concessions against specifications or contractual requirements to be submitted by General Dynamics; and how many were approved.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
All 185 Capability Drop 3 vehicles have modifications above the current production baseline and therefore every vehicle accepted through the joint acceptance group testing has concessions. In addition to these above baseline concessions, there are 28 different concessions which are due to either alternative parts or parts out of tolerance which do not impact user performance or operation or exceptionally a timebound impact on performance which is acceptable.
Asked by: Graham Leadbitter (Scottish National Party - Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2026 to Question 103618, when the Armed Forces Foundation Year Scheme placement details will be finalised.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for South Suffolk (James Cartlidge) on 16 January 2026, to Question 104236.
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-01-08/104236
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of the capability requirements that Ajax-family Capability Drop 4 vehicles will fully comply with.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
It would not be appropriate to release a complete list of capability criteria, or any amendments to them, as doing so could prejudice the capability of our Armed Forces.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of the capability requirements have Ajax-family Capability Drop 3 vehicles been verified to fully comply with.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
It would not be appropriate to release a complete list of capability criteria, or any amendments to them, as doing so could prejudice the capability of our Armed Forces.
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 scope of the Royal Navy’s Eagles Eye trials in relation to the development of a naval aviation hybrid air wing.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Eagles Eye Trial is an iterative programme designed to develop the Royal Navy concept of hybrid air wings delivered under the Maritime Aviation Transformation programme.
The Trial focuses on the development of crewed and uncrewed collaboration through the live control of Uncrewed Aerial Systems from a Wildcat Maritime Attack Helicopter.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government has given security guarantees to the United States on the future of the military base on Chagos Islands since 2 February 2026.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 January 2026 to Question 107405 to the hon. Member for South Suffolk (Mr Cartlidge). We welcome continued US support for a deal that secures the long-term, stable and effective operation of the base.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of operating in Ukraine and the High North simultaneously on (a) British Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force resources.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Defence continually reviews all current and planned commitments in line with established protocols to ensure they can be fully and appropriately resourced by the single Services. This process includes ongoing dynamic assessment and the allocation of resources as new requirements emerge.
Defence’s planned commitments in relation to Ukraine and the High North have been properly resourced, deconflicted, and present no identified concurrency risks across the British Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force. Any additional requirements arising from future commitments will be assessed through established processes and resourced accordingly to ensure Defence maintains the highest standards of operational output.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to section 5 of his Department's policy paper entitled The Strategic Defence Review 2025 - Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad, published on 8 July 2025, what assessment he has made of potential impact of possible threats on the Antarctic Treaty system.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Government’s vision to maintain the UK’s role as a leader in Antarctica and an active participant in the Antarctic Treaty system was set out in the UK Antarctic Strategy to 2035, published on 1 December 2025. The Ministry of Defence undertakes regular assessments of the requirements for Defence to support UK interests in the Antarctic, including upholding the Antarctic Treaty System.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the regional disaster response to the fires in the SBAs of Akrotiri and Dhekelia in July 2025; and whether he has implemented new regional disaster preparedness plans in response.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Sovereign Base Areas Administration (SBAA) manages disaster preparedness through the Areas Resilience Forum. Modelled on UK best practice, this takes a multi-agency approach, including both the SBAA and British Forces Cyprus, to prepare and respond to civil emergencies. The Area Resilience Forum conducts regular exercises to enhance preparedness of relevant agencies.
In tackling civil emergencies, the Administration enjoys full, reciprocal cooperation with the Republic of Cyprus (RoC). For example, during the July 2025 wildfires – which took place within the RoC – significant aerial firefighting support was provided to the RoC by RAF CH-47.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish a list of all (a) UK and (b) overseas sites currently used for long-range kinetic drone testing broken down by the maximum range of each location.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Defence uses various sites within the United Kingdom and overseas to test and evaluate operational capabilities. Capabilities are aligned to range standing orders, Training Danger Area limitations and the operational range of the system being evaluated. Given the geographical constraints of the United Kingdom, some capabilities are better evaluated overseas alongside our allies and partners.
I am unable to provide further details due to operational sensitivities.