Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) original and (b) current cost expectations for the Future Beyond Line of Sight programme.

The current programme delivering Future Beyond Line of Sight capability is the SKYNET 6 Programme, which began in 2016. Future Beyond Light of Sight (FBLOS), is a name used centrally for a collection of projects, of which the only current major programme is Skynet 6, the latest phase in the Skynet programme.

The original authorisations for all the elements of the Skynet 6 programme total £7.1 billion over the 26-year programme life-cycle.

Since 2016, significant changes in technology and functionality have been built in to the programme to maintain an effective strategic satellite communications capability out to 2042 in support of front-line military capability. This has included addressing emerging risks, increases in Space sector prices and higher than expected obsolescence in equipment inherited from Industry, along with the additional management costs that these changes generate.

As a result, Skynet 6's costs have increased over the last six years to circa £8.35 billion, with the same end date. The programme is now in a stable delivery phase and operating within strict parameters of respective approved business cases.