Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled New robots lead the way in bomb disposal innovation, published on 5 February 2025, how many trials for robot bomb disposal have taken place since 5 February 2025.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Since publication of the press release titled “New robots lead the way in bomb disposal innovation” on 5 February 2025, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) has undertaken a further three trials for land-based robot-assisted bomb disposal.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many BriteStorm Electronic Warfare jamming systems has he procured since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
For reasons of operational security, we cannot provide details on the numbers of BriteStorm Electronic Warfare jamming systems procured by the Ministry of Defence.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Underwater robot could improve pipeline and cable security, published on 9 June 2025, how many remotely operated vehicles for use by the Royal Navy has he ordered since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
For reasons of operational security, we cannot provide details on the numbers of BriteStorm Electronic Warfare jamming systems procured by the Ministry of Defence.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Advanced attack drones for Ukraine in new deal struck by UK government and Anduril UK, published on 6 March 2025, how many Altius 700m drones his Department has ordered since 6 March 2025.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
For Ukrainian Operational Security reasons we are unable to provide the number of Altius 700M drones that have been ordered since March 2025.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Advanced attack drones for Ukraine in new deal struck by UK government and Anduril UK, published on 6 March 2025, how many Altius 600m drones his Department has ordered since 6 March 2025.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
For Ukrainian Operational Security reasons we are unable to provide the number of Altius 600M drones that have been ordered since March 2025.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Land Autonomous Collaborative Platforms for the AH-64E Apache he plans to procure in the current Parliament.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Project NYX is a demonstrator to validate the concept of a Land Autonomous Collaborative Platform. Public information is available via the Defence Sourcing Portal, the Ministry of Defence’s tendering platform, and Find a Tender service.
The competition for Project NYX began on 28 November 2025 with the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire release. The Invitation to Tender will be issued week of 12 January 2026 and close 27 February 2026.
Completion will inform future procurement, with initial capability delivery expected from 2030. No decision has been made on platform numbers; these will depend on evolving strategies and requirements.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his planned timetable is to procure a Land Autonomous Collaborative Platform for the AH-64E Apache.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Project NYX is a demonstrator to validate the concept of a Land Autonomous Collaborative Platform. Public information is available via the Defence Sourcing Portal, the Ministry of Defence’s tendering platform, and Find a Tender service.
The competition for Project NYX began on 28 November 2025 with the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire release. The Invitation to Tender will be issued week of 12 January 2026 and close 27 February 2026.
Completion will inform future procurement, with initial capability delivery expected from 2030. No decision has been made on platform numbers; these will depend on evolving strategies and requirements.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on naval capability in the Persian Gulf of decommissioning HMS Lancaster.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The UK remains steadfast in its commitment to maintaining a presence in the Middle East, reassuring partners and contributing to regional security and stability. Central to this posture is the UK Maritime Component Command (UKMCC), located in Bahrain, with a footprint of c125 personnel, which commands and controls Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships. This also includes the MOD’s role in the Combined Maritime Forces framework and the delivery of training to regional partners.
The Royal Navy is evolving its approach to operations in the Middle East, focusing on modernising capabilities, strengthening partnerships, and ensuring basing and access for times of crisis. The RN’s modernisation programme has already delivered an autonomous mine countermeasures capability operating in the Gulf, which continues to innovate at pace. In terms of personnel footprint, the RN maintains a strong regional presence, including roles within US Fifth Fleet Task Forces in Bahrain, Loan Service personnel in Oman, RN embeds in the British Military Mission in Kuwait, and RN personnel advising on seabed warfare through the Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Programme (MODSAP) programme in Saudi Arabia.
The RN remains agile and ready to respond to emerging threats, deploying platforms to meet Defence Plan commitments and operational requirements, which are continuously reviewed.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the competition for the Land Autonomous Collaborative Platforms for the AH-64E Apache will (a) open and (b) close.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Project NYX is a demonstrator to validate the concept of a Land Autonomous Collaborative Platform. Public information is available via the Defence Sourcing Portal, the Ministry of Defence’s tendering platform, and Find a Tender service.
The competition for Project NYX began on 28 November 2025 with the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire release. The Invitation to Tender will be issued week of 12 January 2026 and close 27 February 2026.
Completion will inform future procurement, with initial capability delivery expected from 2030. No decision has been made on platform numbers; these will depend on evolving strategies and requirements.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled UK unveils new undersea warfare technology to counter threat from Russia, published on 8 December 2025, when Atlantic Bastion will reach full operating capability.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Atlantic Bastion is a portfolio of capabilities to enhance the UK’s ability to detect and act against undersea threats. Individual capabilities will have full operating capability dates as opposed to an overall date for Bastion. The Royal Navy intends to move as quickly as it can, within the bounds of UK commercial law, to bring new capabilities into service and enhance our ability to protect the UK and our allies.