Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of using Stratospheric unscrewed air systems.

The Ministry of Defence is sponsoring a High-Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS) Operational Concept Demonstrator (OCD) through Project AETHER. Feasibility activity has been conducted since 2016 to demonstrate the utility of stratospheric aircraft. The project has conducted a range of assessment including with fixed wing aircraft and balloons. This work is now continuing under an assessment phase including further flight trials to inform the next steps for future investment.