UK Defence Journal

We've had Russian attacks on the UK on land, at sea, in the air and in cyberspace. The government need to rapidly increase UK preparedness and make sure the public know the impact and costs of these attacks on their daily lives. @ukdefencejournal.org.uk. ukdefencejournal.org.uk/russia-has-a...

Two Russian tankers with escort in the Channel, visible on both latest Sentinel 1 and 2 images. Looks like PLUTON was simply loitering, waiting for the escort.

British F-35B Lightning jets have flown sorties over Finland for the first time, launched from HMS Prince of Wales as part of NATO's premier air warfare exercise, according to the Royal Navy. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/british-airpower-flexes-muscle-near-russia/

The British Army's planned Initial Operating Capability date for the Challenger 3 main battle tank is under review, although no formal reapproval has yet taken place, the Ministry of Defence stated. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/britains-new-battle-tank-service-dates-not-yet-locked-in/

BAE Systems has been awarded a contract worth USD 535 million to produce additional M109A7 Paladin self-propelled howitzers and M992A3 ammunition carriers for the US Army, the company stated. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/bae-systems-lands-huge-m109a7-paladin-order/

Babcock has set out an expanding international maritime portfolio anchored by its Arrowhead 140 frigate design and submarine support work. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/babcock-arrowhead-frigate-eyes-new-export-wins/

A House of Lords Library briefing published ahead of a debate on threats to UK democracy has drawn attention to an accusation that the Israeli firm BlackCore conducted digital interference operations ahe https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/israeli-interference-in-scottish-vote-flagged-in-lords-briefing/

The Australian and Canadian governments have announced an export agreement covering the supply of Australia's High Frequency Surveillance capability to establish an Arctic over-the-horizon radar system in Canada. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/australia-exports-over-the-horizon-radar-to-canada/

Ukraine regained more territory than it ceded last month, a senior NATO military official has said. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/ukraine-regained-more-land-than-it-lost-last-month/

US Air Force B-1B Lancers, F-15E Strike Eagles and F-35A Lightning IIs flew together over the North Sea during Astral Knight 26, a major US air and missile defence exercise running across the United Kingdom. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/american-bombers-ready-to-strike-over-the-north-sea/

American F-35s, F-15Es and B-1B bombers are flying from British bases in Astral Knight 2026, an air and missile defence exercise, rehearsing the defence of allied airspace and strikes against simulated enemy f https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/american-jets-and-bombers-fight-in-the-skies-over-britain/

Ukrainian strikes have left Russia unable to effectively resupply Crimea, a senior NATO official says, with fuel running short, bridges hit in June and use of the Kerch crossing now restricted by fear of the next attack. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/?p=70188

A former Border Force officer and a Hong Kong trade office manager have been jailed for spying on UK pro-democracy campaigners for Chinese authorities. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/uk-border-force-officer-jailed-for-hong-kong-spying/

The MoD says it is exploring how machine vision could sharpen targeting in one-way attack drones, with policy still being developed alongside legal teams. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/uk-exploring-machine-vision-for-strike-drones/

The RAF's first E-7 Wedgetail surveillance jet is now undergoing ground and flight testing at RAF Lossiemouth, the MoD says. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/raf-wedgetail-update-testing-under-way-at-lossiemouth/

NATO's training and assistance command for Ukraine has put more than 59,000 Ukrainian personnel through coordinated programmes and now spans 31 nations. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/?p=70191

Air defence in every form remains Ukraine's single greatest need, a senior NATO military official says, ahead of a full drone ecosystem, artillery, energetics and electronic warfare, with requirements grounded directly in battlefield experience. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/?p=70190

UK firm Rotron Aerospace says its SkyLance one-way effector has passed a successful flight trial under Project BRAKESTOP. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/?p=70209

UK firm MGI Engineering has unveiled its TigerShark deep-strike system under the MoD's Project BRAKESTOP, a 900km-range autonomous strike platform. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/britain-shows-off-home-grown-deep-strike-weapon/

Russia has suffered up to 1.5 million total casualties in Ukraine, around half a million of them killed, a senior NATO official says, with voluntary recruitment weakening and Moscow increasingly relying on convicts, the indebted and foreigners. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/?p=70192

Russia, China, Iran and North Korea are increasingly learning from the war in Ukraine and sharing the lessons systematically, a senior NATO military official warned. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/?p=70189

Record increases in European defence spending must be turned into combat-ready forces at speed, NATO's Mark Rutte says, warning that "you cannot stop a missile or a tank with a dollar or a euro" as the alliance prepares for Ankara. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/?p=70195

Russia is now spending close to half its entire state budget on defence, NATO's Mark Rutte says, warning the alliance cannot be naive even as he insists Russia knows it could not win a war against NATO. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/?p=70193

The timeline for the remaining upgrades of the United Kingdom’s F-35B aircraft to Technology Refresh 3 standard has yet to be finalised. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/timeline-for-uk-f-35-tr-3-upgrade-still-not-set/

Ukraine is now the world leader in drone and counter-drone warfare, ahead of Russia and many NATO members, NATO's Mark Rutte says, with the alliance now learning from Kyiv as much as it teaches it. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/ukraine-ahead-of-nato-allies-on-drones/

HMS Sutherland has successfully fired her 4.5-inch Mk8 main gun during capability trials at sea, a milestone in the Type 23 frigate's regeneration. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/british-warship-opens-fire-with-main-gun-2/

Britain and five European allies have agreed to push ahead with developing new long-range strike weapons, moving their joint effort into standalone delivery groups. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/britain-and-europe-team-up-on-long-range-strike-weapons/

NATO says the PURL mechanism supplying critical American weapons to Ukraine has seen no discernible slowdown from the war in the Middle East. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/us-arms-keep-flowing-to-ukraine-despite-middle-east-war/

British F-35 Lightnings have flown over Finland for the first time to deter Russia after being launched from HMS Prince of Wales as part of Ramstein Flag 26. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/british-carrier-launches-jets-in-nato-drill-against-russia/

Programme Euston will be one of the most significant and sustained government investments in Scotland over the coming decades, the MoD has said. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/euston-to-be-among-biggest-scottish-investments-in-decades/

The government says it is accelerating the development and deployment of directed energy weapons to counter low-cost drones. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/uk-to-speed-up-laser-weapons-against-cheap-drones/

Ukraine regained more territory than it ceded last month, a senior NATO military official has said. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/ukraine-regained-more-land-than-it-lost-last-month/

Ukraine's expanding front-line kill zone now puts targets beyond the reach of its short-range artillery, leaving it dependent on costlier extended-range ammo. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/spreading-kill-zone-is-starving-ukraine-artillery-push/

NATO's Nuclear Planning Group has issued its first ministerial statement on nuclear deterrence since 2007, pledging to modernise nuclear capabilities and strengthen planning. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/nato-issues-first-nuclear-statement-in-message-to-moscow/

US Air Force B-1B Lancers, F-15E Strike Eagles and F-35A Lightning IIs flew together over the North Sea during Astral Knight 26, a major US air and missile defence exercise running across the United Kingdom. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/american-bombers-ready-to-strike-over-the-north-sea/

NATO's Nuclear Planning Group has issued its first ministerial statement on nuclear deterrence since 2007, pledging to modernise nuclear capabilities and strengthen planning, as a senior NATO official said the alliance's atomic guarantee remains rock solid. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/?p=70160

Britain will give Ukraine 150,000 drones and over 350 air defence missiles and radars in a GBP 752 million package funded from immobilised Russian assets, the Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis has announced in Brussels, https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/frozen-russian-assets-to-fund-uk-drones-for-ukraine/

The United Kingdom and five European allies have agreed to move their joint long-range strike initiative from a planning effort into standalone delivery groups, accelerating work on a range of missiles, launche https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/uk-and-europe-push-forward-on-building-long-range-strike/

General Atomics has won a US Air Force production contract for the FQ-42A, a purpose-built uncrewed fighter designed to fly alongside crewed jets, one of the first aircraft to carry the new "FQ" designation for an https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/us-air-force-orders-uncrewed-fighter-into-production/

The US Secretary of War Pete told NATO that some allies must still do more as he and Mark Rutte hailed the arrival of a harder-edged "NATO 3.0". https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/hegseth-presses-nato-allies-as-us-ramps-up-spending/

US Marines have carried out a live-fire drill defending the USS Portland in the South China Sea, as the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group operates in contested Indo-Pacific waters. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/american-marines-open-fire-in-the-south-china-sea/

F-35B stealth jets have embarked on HMS Prince of Wales as the carrier conducts NATO's Arctic Sentry vigilance in the North Atlantic, alongside HMS Duncan and RFA Tidespring. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/british-aircraft-carrier-launches-fighter-jets-in-arctic/

The Ministry of Defence has disclosed that 23 firearms were recorded as lost or stolen over five years, including two general purpose machine guns and an SA80 rifle, though more than half were deactivated, airsoft or cadet weapons unable to fire live rounds. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/?p=70132

American F-35s, F-15Es and B-1B bombers are flying from British bases in Astral Knight 2026, an air and missile defence exercise, rehearsing the defence of allied airspace and strikes against simulated enemy f https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/american-jets-and-bombers-fight-in-the-skies-over-britain/

The United States has pledged fewer guaranteed forces to NATO's force model and asked European allies and Canada to take up the slack, in a shift a senior NATO official has insisted can be managed without leaving a significant gap. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/?p=70129

Asked by the UK Defence Journal whether Britain's repeatedly delayed Defence Investment Plan is frustrating the alliance, a senior NATO official said what matters is not money but capability delivered on a clear pa https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/nato-plays-down-uk-plan-delay-but-presses-capability/

Defence platforms have a habit of arriving already out of date. IDV says it has built its uncrewed vehicles around that very problem, because the sensors and computing inside them roughly double in capability every eighteen months. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/?p=70110

A senior NATO official says the war is turning against Russia, with its territorial gains shrinking, total casualties put at up to 1.5 million and recruitment faltering, even as Ukraine still struggles with air and https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/russias-battlefield-position-is-worsening-nato-says/

The defence technology firm MARSS has opened a new office in Nice and begun recruiting to double the size of its global artificial intelligence team. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/?p=70100

Ukraine is proving the Russian war machine 'is not unstoppable', NATO chief Mark Rutte says, pledging to press allies to sustain the weapons and ammunition keeping Kyiv in the fight. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/russias-war-machine-not-unstoppable-rutte-says/