The remaining 14 C-130 Hercules will be decommissioned by 2023, with the role to be played by the A400M. It will operate alongside the transport aircraft and C-17 Globemaster and Voyager carriers. Although the new propeller-powered transport plane has had problems since it was brought into service, defense chiefs say it is “maturing well.”
E-3D Sentry will also be retired in 2021, as part of the transition to a fleet of three modern E-7A Wedgetail aircraft in 2023.
Investments: Cyberspace
The paper puts strategic leadership at the “heart” of Confronting emerging threats. The recruits will be invested as part of a new career path dedicated to cyberspace professionals. This will include a new recruitment model to manage, develop and reward online talent in the UK. There will also be an expansion of the Electronic Defense School.
The Skynet 6 program will see about £ 5 billion in investment over the next 10 years to enhance its satellite communications capabilities.
An additional £ 1.4 billion will be spent over the next decade to create a new Space Command, to bolster the UK Army Space command and control, Help coordinate commercial space operations and lead the development of a new space capability. A national center for space operations will be established to track nefarious activities and take action against them. A constellation of UK intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance satellites will be built, along with a digital backbone in space, while the Space Academy will be developed to train defense professionals in the UK.
Rockets and missiles
The Army plans to invest £ 250 million over 10 years in the Multiple Guided Missile Launch System, a long-range artillery platform developed with new missiles that travel further and more accurately. The Army will also spend more than £ 800 million over the next decade on a new autonomous mobile firing platform. In the short term, the funds will be invested to support the Exactor missile system.
An investment of more than £ 200 million over 10 years would provide improved electronic warfare and intelligence capacity. More than £ 500 million will be used to develop electromagnetic capabilities.
Climate change
The change and sustainability strategy will be used to build the resilience of the armed forces in the face of the harshest weather conditions brought on by climate change.