Written questions by Akehurst.

What estimate he has made of the cost of the announcement that 12 F-35As will be bought, beyond the £1.1 billion already announced, once weapons, simulators, and infrastructure are taken into account.

The whole-life cost estimate of £57 billion includes procurement and sustainment of 138 F-35 aircraft to 2069, including technical infrastructure, weapons integration, and aircraft upgrades. The procurement of 12 F-35A rather than 12 F-35B as part of the next procurement package is expected to deliver a saving of up to 25% in initial procurement costs per aircraft for the taxpayer.

What discussions he has had with industry stakeholders on mitigating the impact of delays to the Defence Investment Plan on investment planning.

The Secretary of State for Defence and other Defence Ministers engage routinely and regularly with a wide range of industry stakeholders through established forums, bilateral meetings, and routine commercial engagement on a broad number of topics.

Whether his Department has assessed the role of air defence artillery systems in countering unmanned aerial systems.

The Ministry of Defence regularly engages with subject matter experts, both at home and abroad, to assess the effectiveness of different types of Counter Uncrewed Aerial Systems (C-UAS). This includes the role of air defence artillery systems.The UK operates advanced Counter-Uncrewed Aerial System (C-UAS) capabilities which continue to be developed in response to the changing threat. These systems are operated by various different users within Defence, including air defence units.

Whether his Department has reviewed existing command arrangements for ground-based air defence in relation to the protection of critical national infrastructure.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) continually reviews its operational capabilities, including command arrangements for ground-based air defence, to ensure they remain effective and fit for purpose. The protection of the United Kingdom’s critical national infrastructure is a key priority, and the MOD works closely with other Government Departments and agencies to assess and address potential threats. Any updates or changes to command arrangements are informed by regular assessments, operational requirements, and emerging threats to ensure the safety and security of the nation.

What assessment he has made of current UK stockpiles of short-range ground-based air defence missiles compared with stock levels held in 2022.

I am withholding further detail for operational security reasons.

Whether spending on UK ground-based air defence and Integrated Air and Missile Defence effectors will be deferred until the 2030s.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to modernising the UK's air and missile defence capabilities, including ground-based systems such as Sky Sabre, to ensure robust national resilience as highlighted in the Strategic Defence Review. UK capabilities provide sovereign nation capability and support interoperability with NATO allies and partners. These capabilities, integrated with NATO Allies defend our homeland and contribute to the strength of the NATO Alliance. The Government has committed £1 billion to Integrated Air and Missile Defence in line with the Strategic Defence Review, ensuring investment is prioritised against evolving threats as part of the future Integrated Force. The allocation of investment and timelines for Integrated Air and Missile Defence spending will be set out in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.It would not be appropriate to state stockpile levels of munitions for reasons of national security, but these remain under continuous review to maintain operational readiness.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the UK’s ground-based air defence capability in the event of the UK having to operate without direct United States support.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to modernising the UK's air and missile defence capabilities, including ground-based systems such as Sky Sabre, to ensure robust national resilience as highlighted in the Strategic Defence Review. UK capabilities provide sovereign nation capability and support interoperability with NATO allies and partners. These capabilities, integrated with NATO Allies defend our homeland and contribute to the strength of the NATO Alliance. The Government has committed £1 billion to Integrated Air and Missile Defence in line with the Strategic Defence Review, ensuring investment is prioritised against evolving threats as part of the future Integrated Force. The allocation of investment and timelines for Integrated Air and Missile Defence spending will be set out in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.It would not be appropriate to state stockpile levels of munitions for reasons of national security, but these remain under continuous review to maintain operational readiness.

What proportion of planned expenditure on UK Integrated Air and Missile Defence during the current Parliament will be allocated to effectors, as opposed to sensors and command-and-control systems.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to modernising the UK's air and missile defence capabilities, including ground-based systems such as Sky Sabre, to ensure robust national resilience as highlighted in the Strategic Defence Review. UK capabilities provide sovereign nation capability and support interoperability with NATO allies and partners. These capabilities, integrated with NATO Allies defend our homeland and contribute to the strength of the NATO Alliance. The Government has committed £1 billion to Integrated Air and Missile Defence in line with the Strategic Defence Review, ensuring investment is prioritised against evolving threats as part of the future Integrated Force. The allocation of investment and timelines for Integrated Air and Missile Defence spending will be set out in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.It would not be appropriate to state stockpile levels of munitions for reasons of national security, but these remain under continuous review to maintain operational readiness.

How many Starstreak and Lightweight Modular Missiles have been ordered since 2022 to replace stocks donated to Ukraine.

I am withholding further detail for operational security reasons.

How many additional Aster 30 missiles have been ordered for the Type 45 destroyer fleet since 2022.

I am withholding further detail for operational security reasons.

Whether there are any formal agreements in place with allied nations for the provision of ground-based air defence for the UK homeland.

The UK is a NATO ally and participant in the NATO Integrated Air Defence System (NATINAMDS) a network of interconnected national and NATO systems comprising sensors, command and control facilities, and weapon systems. This system allows the UK to exchange information with Allied nations on a reciprocal basis, to improve sensor coverage and reaction times across the Alliance. Although there are no formal agreements for the provision of effectors of allied nations to be used to defend the UK homeland. NATO has the ability to position assigned or apportioned ground-based air defence effectors in response to emerging threats.

What progress has been made on developing a policy for the active engagement of unmanned aerial systems.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) works closely with partners across Government on a range of Counter-Uncrewed Aerial Systems (C-UAS) issues. The Home Office is responsible for C-UAS policy and strategy in the Homeland during peacetime. During wartime, C-UAS policy falls under the Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) framework, which the MOD is responsible for. The process of providing Military Aid to the Civil Authority (MACA) is well established and ensures a robust framework under which Defence capabilities may be used to support Other Government Departments. In terms of legislation, work is underway to develop a suitable legislative framework that will enable Defence personnel to operate authorised equipment to protect critical Defence property and activities from the threat of UAS.

What the current lead times are for procuring new tanks, artillery systems and missile platform and how do those times compare to other NATO countries; and what steps he is taking to reduce those timelines.

The Defence Industrial Strategy set out an average of six years to contract for major defence platforms. Whilst differing procurement systems make direct comparisons with other countries challenging, our new segmented approach to procurement, supported by accelerated commercial pathways, is designed to enable programmes to get to contract faster. We are making progress towards the target date of 1 April 2026 for establishment of the segmented approach in line with the Strategic Defence Review.

What the status is of the SKYNET 6 programme.

The Skynet 6 programme continues to progress to meet Defence’s satellite communication needs. The build of the Skynet 6A satellite has transitioned into the testing and validation phase, and the competition and final negotiations for the remaining Skynet 6 satellites are nearing conclusion. The Skynet 6 programme will ensure that the UK retains a resilient satellite communications enterprise out to 2040.

What the status is of the New Medium Helicopter programme.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 November 2025 to Question 91436:

What progress has been made on adapting Type 45 destroyers to carry Sea Ceptor missiles.

Sea Ceptor is already in service on all Type 23 frigates and work is underway to introduce it onto the Type 45 destroyers, as well as the new Type 26 and Type 31 frigates. This expansion of Sea Ceptor will further strengthen local air defence capabilities in the surface fleet.

What steps he is taking to expand the UK industrial footprint for Boxer vehicle assembly to increase surge capacity in the event of a prolonged conflict.

We have made significant investments in the UK industrial base, including factories, the workforce, and supply chains, to support the manufacture of Boxer vehicles. The Boxer programme is now in full production, with the potential to accommodate additional orders for surge delivery or export customers.

What assessment he has made of the potential operational risks arising from reliance on funding from European allies in Ground-Based Air Defence and Integrated Air and Missile Defence.

Whilst the UK works with European partners on a range of air and missile defence issues, the UK is not reliant on funding from European allies for our Ground Based Air Defence or Integrated Air and Missile Defence capabilities. His Majesty’s Government announced a £1 billion UK spend on Integrated Air and Missile Defence in the Strategic Defence Review. Further announcements on Integrated Air and Missile Defence investment will be made within the Defence Investment Plan.

What assessment has been made of whether current and planned orders for Starstreak and Lightweight Modular Missiles are sufficient to replenish stockpiles provided to Ukraine.

We are committed to investing more in munitions as set out in the Strategic Defence Review and details of what we will be investing in will be in the Defence Investment Plan.

What the status is of the Future Combat Air System Tempest programme.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 October 2024 to Question 79701 to the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Mr Obese-Jecty).