Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to respond to Question 97807 from the hon. Member for South Suffolk on Defence: Finance before the rise of the House on 18 December 2025.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I responded to the hon. Member on 19 December 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 Rapid £140 million boost for drone and counter-drone tech from newly-formed UK Defence Innovation, published on 15 December 2025, whether his Department has ordered additional laser weapons to complement the DragonFire system since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question 100495 on 24 December 2025.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many contracts have been placed for Land Directed Energy Weapons since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question 100495 on 24 December 2025.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many tests for Land Directed Energy Weapons have taken place since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question 100495 on 24 December 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 Rapid £140 million boost for drone and counter-drone tech from newly-formed UK Defence Innovation, published on 15 December 2025, what additional laser weapons will be developed to complement the DragonFire system.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question 100495 on 24 December 2025.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his proposed timetable is for issuing contracts for Project Brakestop.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Multiple contracts have already been placed to develop prototype one-way effectors to meet Project BRAKESTOP's requirements.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2025 to Question 93964 on Defence: Contracts, what the 177 contracts valued between £100 million and £500 million are for.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Department confirms that there were only twenty-six contracts valued between £100 million and £500 million. Details of these contracts are provided below.
The Department is withholding information on six of these contracts for the purposes of safeguarding national security.
1. SODEXO LTD - OPC Cyprus Soft Facilities Management. The OPC SFM contract refers to the UK Ministry of Defence's (MOD) Soft Facilities Management (SFM) services on an overseas estate.
2. RHEINMETALL BAE SYSTEMS LAND LIMITED - Heavy Armour Post Design Services (Land Common Pillar.)
3. BRIGGS MARINE CONTRACTORS LIMITED - DMS Supply and Maintenance of Authority Moorings, Markers and Targets. The Contract covers the following services: the maintenance of moorings, target moorings and navigation marks owned by the Authority, the replacement of moorings and navigation marks and the sourcing, storage and supply of moorings and navigation mark components.
4. SERCO LIMITED – Defence Marine Services Offshore Support to Military Training and Exercises. The contract will provide discrete Defence services for Offshore Support to Military Training and Exercises in UK waters and select overseas territories.
5. GENERAL ATOMICS AERONAUTICAL SYSTEMS, INC. - Protector Availability Support Solution (PASS.) The provision of spares and logistics support to the Protector Air Vehicle
6. BAE SYSTEMS SURFACE SHIPS LIMITED - In Service Support for Combat Management Systems (CMS) SI and Networks. This Contract provides In Service Support (ISS) of CMS, BAES Shared Infrastructure (SI) & Networks for Royal Navy platforms, Land-Based Test Sites & training sites as well as the installation of SI Version 3 on Type 45 Destroyers. The full Contract Award Notice can be found at the link below and provides full details: RECODE - In Service Support for Combat Management Systems (CMS), Shared Infrastructure (SI) and Networks - Contract Awarded - Contracts Finder.
7. THALES UK LIMITED – Maritime Communication Capability Support.
8. ROKE MANOR RESEARCH LTD - Science & Technology Oriented Research & development in Missile defence (STORM)
9. FR AVIATION LIMITED – IMSORTS. The provision of IMSORTS includes medium/fast speed Operational Readiness Training, simulating an enemy airborne threat, principally for the Combat Air Force part of Next Generation Operational Training (NGOT) and RN (FOST).
10. GENERAL DYNAMICS UNITED KINGDOM LIMITED - Design Services Contract 2 (DSC2)
11. HONEYBEERECRUITMENT.COM LTD - Provision of Temporary Healthcare Workers for Ministry of Defence
12. BOVIS CONSTRUCTION (EUROPE) LIMITED - DEO Kendrew Barracks & Bulwell ARC Design & Build. for Infrastructure Design & Build works at Kendrew Barracks and Bulwell ARC.
13. THALES UK LIMITED - Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM)
14. IBM UNITED KINGDOM LIMITED - Defence Equipment Engineering Asset Management System (DEEAMS)
15. KIER CONSTRUCTION LTD - DEO Rock Barracks Design & Build. For Infrastructure Design & Build works at Rock Barracks.
16. KIER CONSTRUCTION LTD - Keogh Design & Build. Design & Build for Infrastructure works at Keogh Barracks.
17. CORPORATE TRAVEL MANAGEMENT (NORTH) LIMITED – Hotel accommodation and assisted travel costs.
18. VITOL AVIATION UK LTD - A-Supply of Fuel to Singapore F-76 Marine Fuel VITOL (2025 to 2029)
19. BOXXE LIMITED - Microsoft Enterprise Agreement 2025 to 2028. The Contracting Authority (Defence Digital) has a requirement to contract with a supplier who can support with the renewal and running of Microsoft Enterprise Agreement.
20. AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE LIMITED - Project OBERON - Design, build and Launch SAR LEO Cluster of Satellites. Project OBERON is a multi-year Contract that will be for the full design, build, integration, Launch and first year of mission operations for a LEO Synthetic Aperture Radar Satellite.
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 Rapid £140 million boost for drone and counter-drone tech from newly-formed UK Defence Innovation, published on 15 December, whether his Department has placed any contracts for additional laser weapons to complement the UK's DragonFire system since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
This Government is investing in Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) to accelerate these capabilities into service, developing sovereign technology and systems to put the UK at the forefront of an emerging market and be an engine for growth. Directed energy was designated a frontier industry in the Defence Industrial Strategy.
The funding covered in the 15 December press release is helping the Ministry of Defence (MOD) stay at the forefront of DEW, ensuring UK capabilities benefit by continuous improvement of the technology, systems, and sub-systems, by undertaking research and development to make them more efficient and effective. This will contribute to advanced future capabilities across laser and radio-frequency (RF) systems across all domains, that will come into service on a longer timescale, building on the learnings we take from accelerated capabilities like DragonFire.
The Defence Investment Plan will outline our future plans, and whilst we cannot comment on all contracts for security and commercial reasons, we are exploring DEW applications across many use cases, both within the MOD and with partners across Government.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what measures are in place to protect British waters from future incursions by the Russian submarine Krasnodar.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Royal Navy shadowed the Russian Kilo-class submarine Krasnodar and its accompanying tug-boat, Altay, through the English Channel. The Krasnodar remained on the surface for the duration of her transit and operated in line with international obligations. Should the Krasnodar or any other Russian Federation Navy unit enter UK waters, Defence is poised to monitor, track and respond.
As part of its core task, the Royal Navy monitors, tracks and responds to any potential threats in the UK's EEZ, through frequent patrolling by British warships, monitoring and shadowing foreign warships in UK waters, and use of the Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance (MROS) programme, among other activity and capabilities. The government has also been clear on its readiness and willingness to respond decisively to any maritime threat to the UK and its interests. More broadly, the recently announced Atlantic Bastion will secure the North Atlantic for the UK and NATO against the persistent and growing underwater threat from a modernising Russian submarine force.
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 launches new Military Intelligence Services as hostile threats surge, published on 12 December, when the new Military Intelligence Services will be fully operational.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence has a current estimate for the Military Intelligence Services to reach Full Operating Capability during quarter 3 of 2026.