Opinion: What will Boris do for defence?

More from Defence Notes

• Leonardo CEO urges “speed as important as money” as joint ventures progress picks up

  The company’s Q1 2025 results showed a 20% increase in new orders and a 15% increase in revenue across the business.

• Rheinmetall vehicle sales almost double as European companies see continued growth

  Results for Q1 2025 have been strong across the board for many defence companies in Europe with forward-looking statements and predictions for the full year also looking good.

• Why is the defence market “exploding exponentially” for autonomous targeting capabilities?

  Solutions that identify, engage and destroy targets with minimal or no human intervention are becoming critical on tomorrow’s battlefield.

• Companies post mostly rosy results but warn of potential dark clouds

  First quarter 2025 results have been dropping for companies in the past week but many of the US results come with a health warning in their forward-looking aspects about the potential impact of actions by the Trump administration.

• Spain unveils new multi-billion euro defence investment plan

  The new plan outlined how Spain would reach 2% of its GDP spend on defence by 2025, with €1.9 billion earmarked for new equipment acquisition with several land, naval and air platforms disclosed to be replaced or upgraded.

• New Zealand boosts defence spend to US$6.6 billion and vows increased closeness with Australia

  This budget will be spent over the next four years and nearly doubles the country’s defence spending as part of GDP to 2%.