Euronews Next takes a closer look at the UK’s war-fighting readiness plan to see what weapons will be procured and whether other countries should follow suit.
The UK’s Bold Move Toward Battlefield Bossiness
Heads up: This month the United Kingdom rolled out its Strategic Defence Review, a game‑changing shift that’s taking the country from feeling safe to feeling sharp and ready to rumble in the Euro‑Atlantic.
Spending? We’re Going Big
By 2027 the UK pledges to spike defence spending to 2.5 % of GDP, smashing the NATO benchmark and stepping up to a 3 % target when the budget and politics align. That’s not just a tweak – it’s a commitment to push the military budget into the premium league.
Tech on the Table
What’s the secret sauce? A blend of traditional trained troops, digital warfighters, the swarms of drones, and AI-infused tanks and artillery, all brought into action months instead of the usual years. The plan doesn’t shy away from high‑tech, and here are the standout weapons on the docket:
- 12 brand‑new submarines beneath the waves.
- Six cutting‑edge munition factories set to produce next‑gen armaments.
- AI‑powered tanks outfitted with predictive analytics.
- Drone fleets capable of real‑time battlefield reconnaissance.
- Digital command systems that turn data into decisive action.
The Emotional Punch
Picture the UK’s armed forces: a crew of seasoned soldiers mixed with robotics and smart tech, all feeling the pulse of modern warfare. The shift is more than numbers; it’s an emotional reclamation of power, turning uncertainty into confidence.
Ready or Not, Here They Come
With the new rollout, the UK isn’t just packing up for a show‑off; it’s gearing up for concrete, on‑the‑ground readiness. Whether it’s a drone in the sky or a tank on the ground, the UK is setting the stage for a robust, cohesive defence front.
The ‘next generation’ of the UK’s Air Force
UK’s Next‑Gen Defence Mission
The British government’s new strategy kicks off with a bold pledge: out with the old, in with the cut‑ting‑edge RAF. Think F‑35 ready‑to‑fight jets, upgraded Typhoons, and the next‑generation fleet of fast‑jets that will keep the skies buzzing on a whole new level.
F‑35 Lightning: Small‑but‑tough
Already, the UK is flying the F‑35 Lightning “STOVL” version – short take‑off, vertical landing. This is the one that can hop from a runway as short as a football pitch or an Air‑Capable ship in the Navy’s arsenal.
- Length: Just under 16 metres – about as tall as a small kid.
- Speed: Up to 1.6 Mach (≈1,914 km/h). Faster than a cheetah on a jet‑pack.
- Lifting Capability: 18,000 kg – enough to make even the heaviest cargo feel light.
In 2024, Lockheed Martin, the mastermind behind the F‑35, confirmed that the UK is finally firm on 138 aircraft. These birds will be a joint commodity, shared between the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force.
What About the “Kill Switch”?
Last year, some experts worried that a hidden “kill switch” might let the American manufacturer decide when that jet gets its updates. Lockheed says: “Nope, we don’t have that feature.” Parliament asked: Will the UK keep buying the F‑35s even with those concerns? Still waiting for a definitive ‘yes’ from the chambers.
RUSI’s Take on Firepower
Matthew Savill, RUSI’s head of military science, says while the F‑35 rocks, the UK still struggles to pair it with a weapon that can strike from afar – a problem that has been dragged out due to the slow roll‑out of Spear 3.
He added:
“We need to boost our combat chops and firepower. It’s time to harness the new tech to give our forces the edge they’ve been missing.”
That’s the latest scoop on Britain’s leap into the next generation of aerial might. Stay tuned for more updates on how the F‑35 and its killer‑instinct moves could shape the future of defence.
Phasing out the Eurofighter Typhoon
The UK also said it will be working on the next generation of “fast jets”. The plan says this will come through the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a joint venture between the UK’s BAE Systems, Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement and Italy’s Leonardo S.P.A. to create a sixth-generation combat aircraft by 2035.
A November 2024 report from the parliament states that £2 billion (€2.37 billion) had already been invested and an additional £12 billion (€14.22 billion) had been earmarked by the British government over the next ten years for the programme.
The new crafts will replace the current Eurofighter Typhoon, which according to the UK parliament, is scheduled to be phased out of service in the 2030s.
Sixth-generation crafts like the ones the UK, Japanese and Italian militaries want to develop are more advanced than the current fifth-generation fighters, according to David Bacci, a senior research fellow with the University of Oxford wrote in a piece for The Conversation.
Taking a punt on GCAP is one of the areas where I guess [the UK] is de-facto making a significant resources choice. In combat air terms, we are betting big.
Matthew Savill
Director of Military Sciences, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)
One of the likely innovations in sixth-generation fighters, according to Bacci, is the complete removal of vertical tails at the back of the aircraft in favour of thrust vectoring, which will make the aircrafts more stealthy in the air.
The crafts could also have enhanced engines for better performance, the deployment of drones from the aircraft and an “advanced digital cockpit” supported by virtual reality (VR) that “will allow the pilot to effectively become a battle manager,” he continued.
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The plans for these airfighters would be folded into a broader plan for an army that is “10 times more lethal” and combines air defence, artificial intelligence, long-range weapons and land drone swarms.
GCAP is “pretty important” for the UK aerospace industry in the short term, Savill said, but it’s a “vast project with a lot of commitment in the near term,” while it likely won’t be operational for the next 15 years.
“Taking a punt on GCAP is one of the areas where I guess [the UK] is de-facto making a significant resources choice,” Savill said. “In combat air terms, we are betting big”
A ‘hybrid’ Royal Navy with new submarines every ‘18 months’
Air Fighters, Drones, and Submarines: The Royal Navy’s New Power Play
Sky High Plan
Picture this: air fighters teaming up with drones, warships, and submarines to patrol the North Atlantic and beyond. Savill teased that the Royal Navy’s future will be a real hybrid show, blending jet power and sea depth like a superhero crossover.
Submarine Surge
- Up to 12 conventionally armed, nuclear‑powered attack submarines under the AUKUS program.
- Goal: deliver a fresh sub every 18 months, turning the Atlantic into an underwater metropolis.
- Over the next decade, the plan promises 30,000 apprenticeships and 14,000 graduate roles—a ripple effect that could turn even the most skeptical fishermen into tech wizards.
Building the Future
To hit those ambitious numbers, Savill said you’ll need a hefty investment in Barrow and Raynesway, Derby, the sites where these submarines will be born. “We’ve set a hard target,” he noted, but the blueprint for the cash flow is still a mystery—like a plot twist in an action film.
Who’s in Charge?
“A major culture shift in the UK armed forces” is the only roadmap we see, with targets pushing entire programs into the next two years. The UK currently runs seven Astute class attack submarines that will bow out by the late 2030s, making room for the shiny, new models.
“I would be fascinated to see how they plan to achieve this,” Savill added, golfing through the performance record that hasn’t been stellar so far. But one thing’s clear: the Navy is getting a makeover, and the world’s watching the next episode unfold.
Lessons learned by Ukraine
UK’s New Playbook: Armed with Drones, Data, and a Dash of Digital Warfare
Picture this: the UK, after watching the Ukrainian battlefield unfold, decides to copy the tech hacks that worked there. “Take everything we learned and give it a British twist,” the report says. And that twist? A massive sprint towards tech‑fueled war readiness.
Why Ukraine is the Fresh‑From the Field Campus for the UK
- Drones in Ukraine now account for roughly a quarter of all weapons. Think of them as the “flying foot soldiers” that were barely 5,000 a year ago and ballooned to four million in two.
- Tech is the fast‑track that lets armies innovate in war‑time cadence: “Move faster than the rest of the world, otherwise, you’re stuck with old toys.”
What’s the UK Doing With Drones?
- No concrete fleet plans yet, but long‑range, single‑use, underwater, surface, surveillance, and one‑way effector drones are on the radar.
- New “Drone Centre” is on the horizon to keep the country sprinting ahead.
- Dual pitch: double the money on autonomous systems to boost export potential, so the UK can brag about its high‑tech gear.
Autonomy & AI – The New Kids in Town
The UK is unveiling its Defence Uncrewed Systems Centre by February, hoping to mirror Ukraine’s swift move to full autonomy. And that’s not all – they plan to launch a Defence AI Investment Fund to drop AI into the heart of defence as fast as it can.
Speedy Funding Model – The “Danish” Trick
- Ukraine’s government cut the approval time for new weapons prototypes from >12 months to just three months, thanks to a project‑direct funding scheme.
- Now the UK is eyeing a copycat model to get the ball rolling quicker on the battlefield.
Euro Support: A Never‑Ending Postcard
Every year, the UK keeps turning out £3 billion (€3.56 billion) for Ukraine “for as long as it takes.” A generous score that keeps the Ukrainian defences humming.
So, brace yourselves for a UK armed fleet that’s less about trenches and more about terrabytes – drones that can forget to fly back to base, swarms that behave like a flock of smart buzzards, and AI that may give the enemy a heart‑stopper of a surprise. The battlefield’s getting a makeover, and Britain’s about to lead the trend.