Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2026 to Question 116970 on Autonomous Weapons: Procurement, how many further phases will take place if procurement is progressed.

The low-cost air defence effector project under the LEAP initiative, as announced on 20 February, is now entering the international industrial selection phase in each of the E5 nations. This will be followed by a multilateral phase. Once the multilateral phase is complete the E5 nations will decide whether to proceed to a full demonstration and manufacture phase.