UK Defence Investment Plan: what does it mean for UK air power?
The Global Combat Air Programme has secured large swathe of the DIP funding boost at £8.6 billion. (Photo: BAE Systems)
The DIP sees £8.6 billion earmarked for the Global Combat Air Programme, with heavy emphasis on uncrewed systems procurement and a national CCA programme, despite pushed forward helicopter retirements and questions over what shape future ISR capabilities could take.
After months of delays and setbacks, the UK has finally published its Defence Investment Plan (DIP), which includes an extra £15 billion (US$19.86 billion) funding boost outlining the future of the British Armed Forces and what platforms and programmes will be funded.
In a briefing ahead of its release, the MoD said that the plan provided the UK with a “route to start to close our [capability] gaps”, with a sharper focus on delivering a mass number of capabilities over the next four years to 2030. In total, the UK government said that it would be spending £80 billion on defence by
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