New UK Defence Cuts
Speaking in the House of Commons on 20 November, UK Defence Secretary John Healey said that a number of measures are to be introduced before the release of the Government’s Strategic Defence Review due to be published in mid-2025, that will replace outmoded equipment and save the Ministry of Defence £500 million.
These include the withdrawal of the British Army’s unarmed intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) platform, the Thales WK 450 Watchkeeper. Based on the Israeli Elbit Hermes 45 Watchkeeper was procured in the early 2000s in response to operational requirements in Afghanistan, but the first UK flight of the drone did not take place until 2010, full operational capability being declared only in 2018. The system has been dogged by accidents and only 12 UAVs are in operational status with 33 more in storage.
The Royal Navy will lose its two amphibious assault ships, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, along with the Type 23 frigate HMS Northumberland, all of which have been inactive for some considerable time. RFA Wave Knight and RFA Wave Ruler will also leave Royal Fleet Auxiliary service. The decommissioned ships are planned to be replaced by a new Type 26 frigate and multi-role support ships, but those are not expected to be introduced into service for some years to come.
The Royal Force has a fleet of 38 Chinook HC.6A, 8 Chinook HC.5 and 14 Chinook HC.6 heavy lift helicopters, and the 14 HC.6 will be withdrawn and replaced by 14 new extended-range Boeing Chinooks ordered by the previous government earlier this year, but deliveries will not commence before 2026. The RAF’s entire fleet of 17 Puma HC.2s will be axed before being replaced under the £1 billion New Medium Helicopter (NMH) programme, but that plan was thrown into disarray in August after Lockheed Martin and Airbus withdrew from submitting bids, leaving Leonardo as the sole competitor. The evaluation of any bid for NMH is expected to be begin next year, but deliveries would not begin before 2028.
Airbus Helicopters UK issued the following statement regarding the earlier than planned Puma withdrawal.
Airbus Helicopters acknowledges the announcement of the early withdrawal from service of the Airbus Puma fleet in March 2025. Renowned for its exceptional reliability, cost-effectiveness and high mission availability, the Puma has been a cornerstone of the UK’s medium-lift capability.
While we welcome the selection of six new Airbus H145 Jupiter helicopters to replace Puma in Brunei and Cyprus from 2026, we regret the likely impact on the UK’s defence industrial base, with the potential loss of skilled engineering roles and wider consequences for the aerospace supply chain. Airbus Helicopters remains committed to supporting the Puma fleet for as long as required and to delivering the new H145 fleet on schedule. We will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Defence to address the UK’s evolving defence needs.
Photos courtesy UK MoD
