UK Ministry of Defence

On 16 September, the MoD awarded Tekever a contract worth up to £400m for AR5 drones to replace Watchkeeper, with six aircraft coming first. FlightGlobal reported that the May competition produced no compliant bids, so the department negotiated with Tekever alone.

On 8 April, the MoD doubled its autonomous-systems commitment to £4bn during the current Parliament and allocated £140m across 33 British companies and two academic institutions. The department is therefore testing whether its procurement system can turn a wider supplier base into usable military capability.

On 30 June, the MoD named Type 91 to Type 94 as uncrewed Royal Navy classes and committed more than £5bn to autonomy. The announcement put robot warships in the fleet's formal structure, but left quantities, contractors and entry dates open.

By 16 July, the MoD had set at least £1.5bn over four years for the classes and a 2030 target for the first prototype. It published roles and hull sizes but had not named a shipbuilder, leaving the department to turn a funding decision into a contracted programme.

On 13 May, the MoD committed Typhoon fighters, HMS Dragon, mine-clearance vessels and drones to a 40-nation Hormuz Coalition. The announcement named the forces through which the department would turn Britain's political backing for maritime security into an operational contribution.

On 11 May, the Royal Navy had confirmed that HMS Dragon was forward-deploying for a possible Hormuz mission, contingent on a sustainable Ceasefire. For the MoD, that condition left the task as readiness and Coalition planning rather than an unconditional deployment.