House of Commons · Written Ministerial Statement
Defence Equipment Plan
21 February 2022 · Ministry of Defence
Proposed by Jeremy Quin Con Horsham
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
At a glance
Key points
- The 2021 Defence Equipment Plan Report was released outlining military equipment procurement and modernisation plans.
- The report includes additional ships, new F-35 fighter jets, a batch of medium helicopters, and upgraded land equipment.
- A 6.6bn commitment is ring-fenced for Defence R&D spend to reverse the decline in defence research funding.
Issue summary
The statement discusses the release of the 2021 Defence Equipment Plan Report which outlines plans for military equipment procurement and modernisation.
Action requested
The report announces significant enhancements to previous capability plans, including additional ships for the Royal Navy, new F-35s, a medium helicopter batch, and upgraded land equipment. It also highlights a £6.6bn ring-fenced commitment for Defence R&D spend, reversing the decline in defence research funding.
Key facts
- The report implements the strategy and financial reset from the Integrated Review, Defence Command Paper, and Spending Review.
- Funding surplus of £7.3 billion has been reversed to a surplus this year.
- A funded contingency for urgent operational requirements is set aside for the first time since 2018.
- New funding enables key decisions on capabilities such as more ships, F-35s, medium helicopter batch and upgraded land equipment.
- £6.6bn ring-fenced commitment to Defence R&D spend has been announced.
- The Future Combat Air System programme is highlighted for future combat air capability delivery.
- Dreadnought replacement warhead programme is mentioned as a complex procurement challenge.
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