Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the current lead times are for procuring new tanks, artillery systems and missile platform and how do those times compare to other NATO countries; and what steps he is taking to reduce those timelines.

The Defence Industrial Strategy set out an average of six years to contract for major defence platforms. Whilst differing procurement systems make direct comparisons with other countries challenging, our new segmented approach to procurement, supported by accelerated commercial pathways, is designed to enable programmes to get to contract faster. We are making progress towards the target date of 1 April 2026 for establishment of the segmented approach in line with the Strategic Defence Review.