Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled UK and European allies to develop low-cost air defence weapons to protect NATO skies, published on 20 February 2026, when will the testing phase of the Low-Cost Effectors & Autonomous Platforms initiative begin.

UK trials for the low-cost air defence effector under the LEAP initiative are currently planned for Autumn 2026; however, this is dependent on engagement with industry and the maturity of the solutions offered. This will be followed by multilateral trials with our European partners in 2027.