Author: Andrew Perry

MOD to re-invest in submarine fleet

Summary: The Ministry of Defence is to invest around £270m in Britain’s nuclear submarine fleet.
An initial £120m will be used to refuel the reactor of UK’s oldest nuclear submarine, HMS Vanguard, while a further £150m will be used to implement contingency work to refuel other submarines if necessary.
Defence maintenance
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond told the House of Commons that HMS Vanguard will be refuelled in Devonport during its planned deep maintenance refit in 2015.
A decision on refuelling the next oldest submarine, HMS Victorious, will not be taken until 2018.
The decision to refuel the vessel has been described by Mr Hammond as the ‘responsible option’ after an internal radiation leak was discovered at the Dounreay nuclear facility in Caithness, Scotland.
Although the leak was classed as a ‘zero risk incident’, the decision to not inform Scottish ministers of any potential threat to environmental safety for two years has been met with sharp criticism from politicians north and south of the border.
The SNP and Yes Scotland have long advocated the decommissioning of the Trident nuclear deterrent and have made the issue a central tenant of their campaign for Scottish independence in the upcoming referendum.
New defence industry opportunities
In place of Trident, campaigners envision a nuclear-free Scotland, with the money spent on renewing the deterrent instead invested in equipment, personnel, the modernisation of military headquarters and training programmes to establish a new Scottish Defence Force, with a potential of £2.5bn worth of opportunities to defence contractors as a result.
Defence Contracts International aims to keep those with an interest in the defence market up to date with all the news and opportunities necessary to succeed in this industry. Find out more about DCI today and discover the precision intelligence you need to ensure your success.

Read More

Poland defence spend set to grow in 2014

After announcing a boost in military expenditure at the start of 2014, Poland has announced details of equipment and vehicle expenditure for the coming years, including fighter jets, light tanks and infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs).

Read More

Report highlights emerging defence markets

A new report has found that Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey are set to become the most attractive defence markets in the coming years, with defence and related spending increasing from US$40.6 billion to US$61.1 billion by 2019 in these economies.

Read More

Reports examine affordability of MOD Defence Equipment Plan

Two new reports released by the National Audit Office have outlined the affordability of the MOD’s ten-year Equipment Plan, concluding that work to lay the foundations for future stability in the spending plans has had a positive effect on the Department’s ability to maintain an affordable Equipment Plan.

Read More

Try out DCI Today

Try out DCI Today

    BiP Solutions owns Tracker and we look after your details carefully. We offer a range of products, services and events (some of which are free) that help buyers tender more efficiently and suppliers find, bid for and win public and private sector contracts. Only tick this box if you wish to receive information about these. We will never share your details with third parties and you will have the opportunity of opting out of communications every time we contact you. For further details, please see our Privacy Policy