Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's document entitled Defence Secretary Wes Streeting MP, keynote speech at AGF Defence Summit, Farnborough International Air Show, published on 22 July 2026, what is the scope of the work covered under the £708 million contract extension with BAE Systems to advance their work on critical sovereign technologies.

The £708 million contract extension with BAE Systems will support the delivery and integration of UK sovereign technologies for the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) and the development of wider Future Combat Air System capabilities, including software, digital networks, digital engineering and supporting infrastructure. It is maintaining the UK's ability to design, develop and support advanced combat air systems, while sustaining key skills and industrial capacity in support of GCAP.