Every parliamentary written question tabled by Ben Obese-Jecty this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 1,721–1,740 of 2,264 · Ministry of Defence
What is the planned in-service date of the Astraea A21 warhead.
As the hon. gentleman would understand, the expected out-of-service date for our current Mk4A nuclear warhead and the expected in-service date for Astraea are being withheld as release would prejudice national security.
What assessment he has made of the potential merits of adopting the US Marines’ littoral regiment concept for naval infantry as outlined in their Force Design 2030.
The Ministry of Defence keeps allied force design developments under review but has no plans to adopt the US Marine Corps Littoral Regiment construct which is designed to support archipelagic warfare and distributed operations in the Indo-Pacific. The Royal Marines and UK Commando Forces are already being transformed through the Littoral Strike/Commando Force programme which is tailored to UK and NATO requirements.
What Military Aid to Civil Authorities taskings have 2 Counter-Uncrewed Aerial Systems wing conducted since 2022.
2 C-UAS Wing have supported 13 Military Aid to Civil Authority requests from 2022 to 2 September 2025. 2 C-UAS provide counter-drone security to high-level Royal and Political engagements, major public events, and can respond to suspected drone incursions across the UK.
What assessment he has made of the requirement of a high/low weapons mix to deliver high-end effectors to meet the challenge of (a) anti access, (b) area denial and (c) very long range threat systems.
The Strategic Defence Review considered all aspects of Defence, including the capabilities required by UK Defence to meet the challenges, threats, and opportunities of the twenty-first century. Both autonomous and uncrewed technologies features in both Current and Planned Force Testing events, to ensure we capture the impact of changing technology on our force design. The mix of weapons systems required to defeat different target sets has also been the subject of Force Variation Testing. The results of these assessments are militarily sensitive, so are not releasable.The Defence Investment Plan will be published in the Autumn, to take onboard the Review's vision and recommendations and turn them into a delivery plan. We will ensure this plan considers the capabilities we need to deliver a more lethal Integrated Force, alongside infrastructure and people. The plan will ensure Defence has the flexibility to seize new technological opportunities and maximise the benefits of defence spending to grow the UK economy.
Which sovereign missile systems are able to be installed on F-35B.
The Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM), Meteor and SPEAR 3 are the sovereign missiles that can be installed on the F-35B. ASRAAM is fully cleared and in service for use on the F-35B whilst both Meteor and SPEAR 3 are undergoing integration via the F-35 Joint Program Office.
What stages of the assembly of the Eurofighter Typhoon take place in (a) Warton, (b) Samlesbury and (c) overseas.
For UK acquired aircraft and UK led export orders, ‘final assembly’ takes place at Warton wherein the Major Equipment components which have been manufactured at Samlesbury by BAES and also by the European Partner Companies at facilities in Germany, Italy and Spain, are ultimately assembled.
When the Outline Business Case for the Type 83 destroyer is expected to be submitted.
On current plans the Outline Business Case will be submitted in June 2026 and subject to the Defence Investment Plan due for publication this Autumn.
How many Protector MQ-9Bs have been procured for the Royal Air Force.
Sixteen Protector RG Mk1 have been procured for the Royal Air Force.
What integration opportunities across the Defence enterprise have been identified by the DE&S battlespace integration centre.
The Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Battlespace Integration Centre has identified numerous integration opportunities through the work undertaken to date on Integrated Air and Missile Defence, Future Air Dominance System, and other themes within the Strategic Defence Review. I am withholding information on the specific integration opportunities identified on the grounds of National Security as their disclosure would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Ministry of Defence (MOD). Of equal importance have been the systemic opportunities to achieve better integration through understanding of dependencies and better systems-of-systems engineering. The majority of the value created by the Battlespace Integration Centre has been through collaborations on systemic improvements, such as: Exposing data-driven insights into relationships and dependencies between capabilities through collaboration with other MOD initiatives such as Strategic Decision Support and the Defence Capability Hierarchy. Digitising the likes of doctrine and threat data, for faster modelling and simulation of military capability problems. Sponsoring digital/AI innovation which can significantly cut down the time from identification of a problem to the accurate determination of the most effective option to address it.
Whether StormShroud will give the Royal Air Force the ability to conduct a pulsed operation.
StormShroud augments and enhances the effects delivered by Combat Air platforms such as Typhoon but given the complex, dynamic and interacting nature of the all the factors that may influence pulsed operations, it is not possible to say that StormShroud alone would be the deciding factor in the ability to conduct a specific pulsed operation.
When satellites (a) Juno and (b) Oberon will be launched.
The Juno and Oberon satellites are expected to launch in 2027 or 2028.
What new sites for sovereign production of complex weapons and critical systems have been identified by his Department.
The Strategic Defence Review committed to build at least six new energetics and munitions factories in the UK. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is currently developing a plan to deliver this commitment alongside our wider Defence Industrial Strategy, delivering long-term investment to boost UK growth and generating skilled UK jobs and export opportunities. The MOD is carefully considering arrangements for those factories including potential locations, and more detail will be set out in due course. It is currently considered to be premature to discuss specific proposals or sites until the necessary preparatory work has concluded.
What projects will be delivered via the RAF’s Rapid Capabilities Office beyond StormShroud.
The Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO) remit is to solve problems on behalf of the warfighter, enhancing the capabilities delivered to the front line by exploring game-changing technologies for the Royal Air Force. Many projects are Technology Demonstrations or studies into levels of industry wide technological maturity. Therefore, projects are dynamic and subject to change as they are driven by operational needs.
How many StormShrouds will be procured by the Royal Air Force.
I am withholding the number of StormShrouds to be procured as it would harm the Capability and Effectiveness of the Armed Forces.
How many Russian aircraft have been interdicted by RAF Typhoon Quick Reaction Alert aircraft in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025.
I am withholding the information requested as deterrence is a principal function of RAF Typhoon Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) and QRA is in turn an integral part of the air defence of the UK. The disclosure of information that might compromise the QRA deterrent capability would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
What assessment he has made of the potential merits of adopting the Sig Sauer XM250 as a potential replacement for the L7A2.
The L7A2 General Purpose machine Gun (GPMG) is expected to be replaced under Project CAIRNS. Project CAIRNS is currently a pre-concept project and as such formal consideration of systems, including the Sig Sauer XM250, has not yet taken place.
What assessment has he made of the potential merits of establishing UK Space Command as an independent branch of the UK armed forces.
UK Space Command remains an integral part of the Ministry of Defence and the UK Armed Forces, working collaboratively to ensure it remains a key component of UK Defence. Its role and effectiveness are continuously reviewed. Whilst there are no plans for this to change, at an appropriate time the future development of UK Space Command will be reviewed.
From where does UK Space Command recruit space warfighters.
UK Space Command is a Joint Command staffed by the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force, alongside Civil Servants and contractors. Civil Service positions within the Space Enterprise are conducted as part of fair and open recruitment, and any new position will be posted on the Civil Service Jobs website. Military positions are filled as part of standard military assignment processes. UK Space Command will continue to grow in line with Government requirements.
With reference to the Answer of 24 July 2025 to Question HL9397 on Typhoon Aircraft: Factories, what elements of the Typhoons ordered by Italy will be manufactured in the UK.
It is the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency who set the industrial sub-system production and workshare agreements across the partner nations. Through partner nation agreement, NETMA have set United Kingdom industrial workshare as 37%. Eurofighter GMBH manage its sub-system and component manufacturing orders from across the industrial base of each partner nation, in line with that workshare agreement percentage. Some of the major components that UK leads on the manufacturing include the front and rear fuselage, windscreen and canopy, fin and rudder, engine bay doors, foreplane and major avionics systems.
When the RAF will receive the first Typhoons with a European Common Radar System Mark 2 radar.
Delivery and integration of the European Common Radar System Mark 2 onto RAF Typhoon Tranche 3 aircraft, as part of the Eurofighter Phase 4 Enhancement (P4E) programme, will commence by the end of this decade.