Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December to Question 98827 on Navy: North Atlantic Bastion, whether the Defence Investment Plan will set the funding envelope for the full delivery of Atlantic Bastion.

The Defence Investment Plan (DIP), when published, will set the funding envelope for the programme. The Atlantic Bastion capability options submitted for consideration in the DIP include a blend of uncrewed systems, underwater payloads, options to increase lethality, and improvements to crewed platforms.

While unable to provide detailed information owing to commercial sensitivity, there has been significant interest from industry in Atlantic Bastion, with combined Ministry of Defence and industry investment of £14 million already committed this year to testing and development. Additionally, 26 consortia from the UK and Europe have submitted proposals to develop anti-submarine sensor technology, with 20 companies from big primes to tech SMEs already showcasing technology demonstrators.