Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 38 of his Department's document entitled Defence Investment plan, published 30 June 2026, what will be the future strategic sea lift capability.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the hon. Member to my response to Question 17100 published on 17 July 2026:
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-07-08/17100
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 37 of his Department's document entitled Defence Investment plan, published 30 June 2026, whether the planned funding in new maritime capabilities of £32 billion between 2030-2035 is already included in his Department's budget.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Funding for investments beyond 2029-30 will be set out as part of future Spending Reviews and subsequent budget-setting processes, in the usual way.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what date will the Type 31 frigate come into service.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
On current plans, the first of the Type 31 ships will be handed over to Royal Navy later this decade.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what work has taken place to establish a Digital Warfighter Group.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Strategic Defence Review directed the establishment of a Digital Warfighter Group (DWG) to enable Defence to deploy digital and conventional warfighters on operations, side-by-side.
Focussed work on the establishment of the DWG is underway.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how does Taskforce RAID work or integrate with the AI Investment Fund.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Investment Plan allocated Taskforce RAID £100 million to deliver against four ‘challenge sets’ and prime Defence for a future of fast and effective AI adoption for warfighting. Taskforce RAID and the £500 million Sovereign AI Fund have separate purposes and governance arrangements, but both are looking to support UK businesses. The Sovereign AI Fund is focussed on helping AI startups to start and scale in the UK. The Taskforce is working closely with the British tech sector to access a broader market and boost UK SMEs.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what are the timelines of the New Medium Helicopter being built in Yeovil.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The first New Medium Helicopter delivery to the UK Armed Forces is expected to take place in 2030. This is part of the contract awarded to Leonardo Helicopters UK on 23 March 2026 to deliver 23 AW149 helicopters and four training simulators.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what will the split of crewed and uncrewed Naval assets be by 2030.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Navy is rapidly adopting a Hybrid Navy approach and already operates dozens of uncrewed platforms across a range of roles. Uncrewed systems will increasingly complement crewed ships and submarines as laid out in the Defence Investment Plan.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 41 of his department's Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, what type of vehicles will the £150 million be used to procure in the rapid development and production of uncrewed ground vehicles.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Investment Plan (DIP) outlined £150 million to commence a programme to rapidly develop and produce uncrewed vehicles for the Army, through UK industry.
The investment will support the development and procurement of a range of uncrewed ground vehicles for the British Army. These systems are expected to span a variety of payload capacities and, where appropriate, will employ common-base platforms and modular payloads to provide flexibility and value for money.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 45 of his Department's Defence Investment Plan, published 30 June 2026, what sovereign world-leading propulsion system will the Collaborate Combat Aircraft use.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Collaborate Combat Aircraft (CCA) are developmental. UK Defence will leverage years of work in advanced propulsion technologies. The RAF and Rolls-Royce joint investment in the Orpheus engine family is one example. This work will help to mature capabilities and inform future decisions.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what quantum technologies are being used in FCAS and GCAP.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
FCAS is exploring and developing concepts at this stage and GCAP is still in early design so the viability of specific technology solutions is still being assessed against the requirements. The potential of quantum technologies is being monitored, noting the potential for high rate of change.