UK Air and Missile Defences

Mr Adam Dance thanked the hon. Member for North Durham for securing the debate and expressed support for Leonardo, a key defence industry player in his constituency, as it moves towards supporting UK manufacturing and innovation sectors.

Mr Calvin Bailey highlighted the importance of understanding current defence capabilities and their degradation since the 2010 strategic defence and security review. He emphasised the need for a European-focused approach to security, including enhancing relationships with NATO and other European partners for access to funding and partnerships. Mr Bailey also discussed the deployment of Army units based on threat assessment and the role of Type 45 destroyers in air defence. He called for an honest discussion within the Department about the affordability and sustainability of current operations and stressed the importance of a robust industrial base capable of sustaining military responses.

The hon. Member highlighted the importance of a strong industrial base for national defence, citing examples such as semiconductor and fertiliser plants in his constituency that play critical roles in defence production. He mentioned the need to strengthen capabilities in foundation industries and welcomed Government protections for certain sectors but noted ongoing issues like plant closures due to uncompetitive business environments.

My hon. Friend refers to the stock that we require. Hopefully it never needs to be used, but we definitely require it. Does he agree that it would help if the Government were to outline in clear detail how quickly defence spending will get to 2.5%?

Mr Roome welcomed the Prime Minister's approval of the Tempest project and highlighted the importance of a comprehensive security agreement with the European Union. He expressed concern over the state of procurement in the armed forces, noting that one third of defence contracts were awarded uncompetitively under the previous government. Mr Roome also raised the issue of Systems Engineering and Assessment winning a £135 million contract for defensive countermeasure systems and questioned the lack of clarity on increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP.

Mr Cartlidge echoed previous speakers' concerns and asked for an update on the use of NINJA and ORCUS systems, highlighting the need for a multi-domain approach to missile defence. He expressed concern about maritime threats from Iran-backed Houthis and suggested accelerating Sea Ceptor Evolution upgrade or considering urgent operational requirements for standard missile 3. Mr Cartlidge also emphasised the importance of directed-energy weapons such as DragonFire and radio frequency kinetic strike systems, and stressed that funding commitments must be met to secure defence capabilities. Asked the Minister why the Government did not act urgently to replenish munitions after announcing significant defence cuts, instead of waiting for the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDR).

Mr Jim Shannon highlighted the importance of robust air defence, noting Thales's role in providing employment and apprenticeships in Northern Ireland. He mentioned a £176 million MOD contract awarded to Thales for lightweight missiles and praised their contribution to Ukraine's defence efforts.

Scotland provides significant defence assets, but there is a hostile environment from the Scottish Government towards companies involved in warfighting capabilities. Senior figures have boasted about limiting funding for large companies that need to ramp up for Ministry of Defence orders.

Bonavia highlighted the importance of NATO, Europe, and UK responses to Russian aggression in Ukraine and regional instability in the Middle East. He noted that NATO states can provide less than 5% of the air defence capacity needed for Europe's protection. He praised his constituency's role in missile production and urged the government to increase spending on defence, particularly missile defence capabilities.

Mr Brickell expressed concern about the vulnerability of the UK to advanced missiles, citing Putin's use of hypersonic missiles and emphasising the importance of sovereign capability for missile defences. He highlighted MBDA's employment in his constituency and called for adequate manufacturing capacity within the defence sector.

He agreed with the Chief of the Defence Staff's recent comment that integrated air and missile defence should be a key area for future investment to address growing global challenges and threats. Enhanced co-operation with NATO and other allies is essential for achieving air and missile defence aims in the UK. The Estonia pact demonstrates that continued alliances enhance our ability to meet procurement challenges and defend against long-range missile threats. The hon. Member intervened, supporting the notion of being at the cutting edge of technology in an increasingly volatile world, and welcomed recent progress on new air defence lasers for RAF pilots.