Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

What grain is the standard 5.56 x 45mm ball round used by the Armed Forces.

The standard 5.56 x 45mm ball round used by the UK Armed Forces has a bullet weight of four grams, equivalent to 62 grains.

What his Department's projected completion date is for Project Morpheus.

Following the closure of the Evolve to Open Transition Partner Contract in 2023, the Army has sought to achieve the objectives of MORPHEUS through iterative and incremental delivery. The Army has already demonstrated some of these capability goals through Project ASGARD. The Army continues to deliver tactical communications updates and upgrades across Defence and therefore the objectives of Project MORPHEUS remain ongoing under the revised Land Domain C4 sub-portfolio.

What the full scope is of Project Santa-ana.

Project SANTA ANA is a trial of two ‘off grid’ deployable, modular and mobile energy systems to compare market solutions to; - generate power at the point of use.- store the energy.- manage the energy.- distribute the energy to electric vehicles. The system includes micro wind turbines, battery, solar, energy management systems and Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure. The systems are being trialled at RAF Leeming, RNAS Yeovilton, Bovington and West Moors. The system sited at RAF Leeming is in direct line of sight of an airfield radar system as part of a test of the impact of micro wind turbines on radar. The trial will provide learning to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to the following areas: - To gain experience on reducing the reliance on the hydrocarbon logistics chain.- To produce reliable and dependable off grid energy for a deployable environment.- To exploit micro wind turbine technology.- To challenge policy with respect to micro wind turbine and radar.- To inform and influence MOD stakeholders on mobile renewable energy solutions.- To understand the challenges of managing mobile renewable power and demand.

What the full scope is of Project Theia.

Project THEIA is the British Army’s flagship digital transformation programme. Project THEIA is structured around three core objectives; transforming digital culture and behaviours, integrating information across domains and enhancing decision-making. The project has delivered major initiatives to support the digitalisation and modernisation of the British Army.

What the full scope is of Project Cavendish.

Project CAVENDISH will commence in October 2025 and seeks to trial novel wastewater treatment technology on an Ministry of Defence (MOD) site. It will assess the feasibility and viability of net-positive energy sewage treatment on UK MOD sites in the United Kingdom and abroad. It will trial commercially available Microbial Electrolysis Cell (MEC) technology to treat sewage wastewater, produce energy-positive hydrogen and clean effluent.

What the full scope is of Project Effingo.

Project EFFINGO was a UK Defence innovation project, that started in September 2022 and concluded in July 2023. Its aim was to demonstrate that a replica adversarial Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) could be manufactured rapidly, and at relatively low cost, and be delivered to users within UK MOD for training purposes. Conclusion of the project allowed UK MOD to develop relevant Training, Tactics and Procedures (TTPs) for defensive (Counter-UAS) purposes for the protection personnel, assets and infrastructure.

What formal agreement between the UK and France stipulates the chain-of-command within the coalition of the willing.

The Multi-National Force-Ukraine is a combined UK-France lead, cohering UK-French co-leadership through the basis of the Combined Joint Force, formally the Combined Joint Expeditionary Force and renamed at the UK-France Summit in July 2025. The CJEF Concept of Operations provides a collaboratively shaped set of pre-agreed processes and procedures for planning and managing operations undertaken by the UK and French militaries. The structure offers balance between the two militaries for mutual decision-making within the policy/military space.

Pursuant to the Question of 9 September 2025 to Question 74242 on Ajax Vehicles: Procurement, what the Army’s fielding plan is for Ares vehicles.

The Army’s fielding plan is reviewed and updated on a regular basis to meet the changing needs of the Army. Currently ARES will be fielded to Training Regiments, Armoured Cavalry units and Armoured Infantry units.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 72563 on Sanctions, which company received a monetary penalty of £465,000 in March 2025.

On 20th March 2025, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) imposed on Herbert Smith Freehills CIS LLPP (“HSF Moscow”) a monetary penalty for the sum of £465,000. HSF Moscow was the subsidiary office to the UK registered Herbert Smith Freehills LLP (“HSF London”) until its closure by HSF London on 31 May 2022 as a consequence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The reason for the penalty was the breach of financial sanctions imposed on Russia by providing payments to designated persons without a licence. The full penalty notice can be found here.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 72563 on Sanctions, which company received a penalty of £1.1 million in May 2025.

HMRC is unable to disclose this information due to its taxpayer confidentiality obligations. The Department for Business and Trade, on behalf of HMRC, publishes a notice every quarter in respect of the number of businesses and individuals that may have been prosecuted or received a compound settlement. This data is anonymised but allows exporters to remain aware of any enforcement outcomes. These updates can be found in Notices to exporters - GOV.UK.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 74146 on Defence: Huntingdon, (a) what and (b) where those two projects are.

I hope the hon. Member will understand that I cannot place all the details in the public domain at this time, but the two projects potentially eligible for fast-track planning in Huntingdon are still under consideration. No final decision has been made with respect to the location of the projects, their design or timescales for operational readiness.

What is the out-of-service date of the Watchkeeper TUAS.

As announced by the Secretary of State in 2024, the Army’s Watchkeeper Mk 1 Uncrewed Aerial System is in the process of being retired from service with an Out of Service Date of March 2027.

What the full scope is of Project Theia.

Project THEIA is the British Army’s flagship digital transformation programme. Project THEIA is structured around three core objectives; transforming digital culture and behaviours, integrating information across domains and enhancing decision-making. The project has delivered major initiatives to support the digitalisation and modernisation of the British Army.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 72364 on North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust: Medical Records, by when he expects North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust to submit that investment case.

The North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust is unable to confirm the date the investment case will be submitted, as this is subject to conversations between NHS England regional and national colleagues to confirm necessary approvals and funding for the Outline Business Case. We are working to ensure this happens in a timely manner to secure the trust and integrated care system strategic objectives, and to meet the timeline for the new hospital opening at Hinchingbrooke.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the introduction of CBAM in January 2027 on defence imports.

The UK government is introducing a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) on 1 January 2027 to address the risk of carbon leakage. The UK CBAM is a new tax which will ensure that highly traded, carbon intensive goods which are imported from overseas face a comparable carbon price to what is paid by manufacturers producing the same goods in the UK. The CBAM will only initially be applied to specific imports from a small number of production sectors (aluminium, cement, fertiliser, hydrogen and iron & steel) at risk of carbon leakage. This encompasses less than 3% of total UK imports. A draft tax information and impact note is publicly available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/draft-legislation-carbon-border-adjustment-mechanism/draft-tax-information-and-impact-note

What the total cost was of the Armoured Cavalry 2025 Programme.

The Approved Budget Level (ABL) for the Armoured Cavalry (Ajax) Programme is £6.3 billion. This has not changed since 2014. The estimated cost of the programme against this approval is £6.2 billion. The programme cost is estimated in real terms with inflation factored in.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the test flight of the General Atomics YFQ-42 drone.

This Government launched the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) which set out the pathway for the next decade and beyond to transform Defence. A key part of the SDR's vision for UK defence is innovation driven by lessons from Ukraine - harnessing drones, data, and digital warfare to make our Armed Forces stronger and safer. The SDR recommends that the Royal Air Force should shift towards the greater use of uncrewed systems as an immediate priority. As part of this transformation, uncrewed and autonomous systems will be incorporated into the Royal Air Force through a broad mix of capabilities to enhance operational effectiveness. This Government is investing an additional £2 billion this Parliament into autonomous systems, including drones, and will establish a new Defence Uncrewed Systems Centre at initial operating capability by February 2026. The exact types of uncrewed systems to be procured and the associated investment will be determined as part of the Defence Investment Plan.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the test flights of the Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat (Block 1) for the Royal Australian Air Force.

This Government launched the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) which set out the pathway for the next decade and beyond to transform Defence. A key part of the SDR's vision for UK defence is innovation driven by lessons from Ukraine - harnessing drones, data, and digital warfare to make our Armed Forces stronger and safer. The SDR recommends that the Royal Air Force should shift towards the greater use of uncrewed systems as an immediate priority. As part of this transformation, uncrewed and autonomous systems will be incorporated into the Royal Air Force through a broad mix of capabilities to enhance operational effectiveness. This Government is investing an additional £2 billion this Parliament into autonomous systems, including drones, and will establish a new Defence Uncrewed Systems Centre at initial operating capability by February 2026. The exact types of uncrewed systems to be procured and the associated investment will be determined as part of the Defence Investment Plan.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 73562 on Ajax Vehicles: Procurement, how his Department defines specialist troops in this context.

The ARES variant is the common base for all the Ajax variants and will be used to deliver and support specialist troops across the battlefield. The term ‘specialist troops’ is used informally, and in this context refers to Anti -Tank Javelin Teams, Snipers and Support Troops.

When the RAF’s dual-capable aircraft programme will be delivered.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave to Question 63225 on 7 July 2025 to the hon. Member for Poole (Neil Duncan-Jordan). https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-06-26/63225