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Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)


2005 United Kingdom Special Weapons News



  • Go-ahead approved to replace UK's nuclear missile system IRNA 18 May 2011 -- Defence Secretary Liam Fox Wednesday announced the go-ahead for initial work to begin on the controversial replacement of Britain's Trident nuclear missile system.
  • Plans for successor nuclear deterrent submarine announced UK MOD 18 May 2011 -- Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox has today announced that approval has been given for the early phase of design of the submarine that will deliver the UK's nuclear deterrent well into the 2060s.
  • Paradigm Signs 2 year Extension to Skynet 5 Contract and Orders a Third Skynet 5 Satellite EADS 20 Dec 2005 -- Paradigm Secure Communications Ltd, a subsidiary of EADS SPACE Services, has today signed an amendment with the UK MoD to extend the 15 year Skynet 5 PFI service contract for military communications. The extension will provide the UK MoD with increased value for money through increased assurance and extended capability. A key feature of the extension is that Paradigm will order construction and launch of a third satellite, Skynet 5C, to be manufactured by EADS Astrium.
  • New combined maintenance and upgrade contract for RAFS Tornado aircraft will save in excess of 100 million BAE Systems 16 Dec 2005 -- The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) has awarded an innovative contract worth some 130 million to BAE Systems for Combined Maintenance and Upgrade work on the Royal Air Force's Fleet of Tornado GR4 aircraft. The contract underlines the MOD’s commitment to providing value for money on behalf of the taxpayer.
  • BAE Systems welcomes publication of Defence Industrial Strategy BAE Systems 15 Dec 2005 -- BAE Systems welcomes today the publication of the Defence Industrial Strategy for the United Kingdom. The Defence Industrial Strategy paper, published following consultation with industry, recognises the skills and capabilities that will be needed to equip and support the UK armed forces and ensure the defence industry remains a world-leading sector.
  • BAE Systems and the Aircraft Carrier Alliance BAE Systems 14 Dec 2005 -- As a member of the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, BAE Systems will be responsible for the leadership of the overall CVF design. This will include definition and implementation of end to end engineering processes in addition to responsibility for the overall specification and requirements for the two ships.
  • Sikorsky S-92 Helicopter Selected for UK Offshore Search-and-Rescue Missions Sikorsky 13 Dec 2005 -- Sikorsky Aircraft has signed a contract to provide four S-92 helicopters to CHC Helicopter Corporation to perform commercial search-and-rescue (SAR) missions for the United Kingdom Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) beginning July 1, 2007. Sikorsky is part of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX).
  • Britain Considers New Nuclear Power Plants VOA 29 Nov 2005 -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced a government study to consider the construction of new nuclear power stations to fill an emerging energy gap.
  • Blair 'to give go-ahead for new generation of nuclear stations' IRNA 21 Nov 2005 -- Prime Minister Tony Blair was reported Monday to be ready to give the go-ahead to a new generation of nuclear power stations, despite his government concluding less than two years ago that nuclear is an unattractive option.
  • UK still needs nuclear weapons, says Defence Secretary IRNA 02 Nov 2005 -- Defense Secretary John Reid has given the clearest indication so far that the British government intends to replace its ageing Trident nuclear weapons despite peace campaigners saying it would breach the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
  • UK denies US approval is needed to use its nuclear weapons IRNA 01 Nov 2005 -- Defense Secretary John Reid has denied that the British government needs prior permission from the United States to use its ageing American-made Trident nuclear weapons.
  • Raytheon Completes Acceptance Testing for the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force Raytheon 21 Sep 2005 -- Raytheon Company has successfully completed flight trials and acceptance testing for the EXTRACT System, an airborne reconnaissance system aboard a special airborne reconnaissance aircraft for the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force.
  • Test Success For Astute Combat System BAE Systems 13 Sep 2005 -- As the command deck module for first of class submarine Astute takes shape in the BAE Systems Warspite integration and test facility at Barrow-in-Furness, North West England, a key piece of combat system equipment has passed its installation and set to work tests 300 miles away.
  • Astute Class Submarine Programme Firmly On Track BAE Systems 13 Sep 2005 -- BAE Systems submarine manufacturing facility at Barrow-in-Furness, the prime contractor for the Astute Class of submarine, is on track to deliver the first of Royal Navy’s advanced nuclear submarines by August 2008.
  • BAE SYSTEMS Provides Royal Navy Technical Documentation And Training Online BAE Systems 13 Sep 2005 -- BAE Systems, working in partnership with the UK Defence Logistics Organisation, has been given the go-ahead to roll-out of a technical information browser across the UK Royal Navy fleet before the end of the year, following successful trials aboard the Type 23 frigate HMS Westminster.
  • BAE Systems selected for new Royal Navy Warfare Operator Training Programme BAE Systems 13 Sep 2005 -- BAE Systems has been down-selected as preferred supplier for phase one of the new Maritime Composite Training System (MCTS) programme, valued in the region of £100 million.
  • BAE Systems awarded Systems Integration contract for new offshore patrol vessel BAE Systems 13 Sep 2005 -- BAE Systems has been awarded a contract from VT Shipbuilding Limited for the supply and integration of the combat management system and air surveillance radar for the new Royal Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel (Helicopter) (OPV(H)).
  • Third Nimrod MRA4 Joins The Fleet BAE Systems 31 Aug 2005 -- The third Nimrod MRA4 development aircraft, PA03, has successfully completed its first flight. It took off from BAE Systems Woodford site, near Manchester at 1645hrs on Monday, 29 August, and landed at the Companys Warton base, near Preston after a 75 minute sortie. PA03, the first development aircraft to test the whole of the mission system, joins the two other flight trials aircraft in a busy schedule that continues into 2007.
  • EADS delivers innovative external communications system for the UK's ASTUTE nuclear submarine project EADS 22 Aug 2005 -- Kiel-based EADS subsidiary Hagenuk Marinekommunikation and its customer, EADS Defence & Security Systems Ltd., UK, are sharing the systems responsibility for three external communications systems (ECS) to be supplied for the UK Royal Navy's ASTUTE class of nuclear submarines. HMS ASTUTE is the first submarine in the world to be equipped with this new system - currently the most advanced external communications system for submarines in the world.
  • UK's nuclear decommissioning costs exceed Pnds 50 billion IRNA 11 Aug 2005 -- Decommissioning Britain's ageing nuclear power stations will cost billions of pounds more than what was previously estimated, according to the first report by the country's recently established Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
  • BAE Systems to supply next generation submarine command system to Royal Navy BAE Systems 27 Jun 2005 -- The latest PC-based variant of the Submarine Command System (SMCS) supplied by BAE Systems will soon be fitted throughout the whole Royal Navy submarine fleet.
  • Britain faces own nuclear dilemma IRNA 16 May 2005 -- The British government is expected to signal the tentative start of a long-delayed debate on replacing the country's ageing nuclear power stations during the Queen's speech that marks the reopening of parliament on Tuesday.
  • Northrop Grumman Upgrades Vessel Traffic System for Plymouth Harbor and Devonport Royal Naval Dockyard Northrop Grumman 15 Jul 2005 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has completed a major upgrade of the Vessel Traffic System for Plymouth Harbor and the Royal Naval Dockyard at Devonport, U.K., that will enhance the ability of traffic controllers to observe and manage the movement of ships throughout the harbor and control access of unauthorized traffic into the restricted zones of the naval station.
  • New Plague Vaccine Agreement Signed 15 Apr 2005 -- A joint, multi-nation project arrangement between the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of National Defence of Canada, and the Secretary of State for Defense of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was announced today for the cooperative development of a vaccine to protect against plague.
  • U.S., U.K., Russia Reaffirm Support for Biological Weapons Pact Washington File 28 Mar 2005 -- To mark the 30th anniversary on March 26 of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, the United States, the United Kingdom and the Russian Federation have issued a joint statement reaffirming their strong support for the pact and their determination to press "for full implementation of, and compliance with, the Convention by all its States Parties."
  • Ministry of Defence signs contract with the ATLAS Consortium for the Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) project EADS 22 Mar 2005 -- Lord Bach, Minister for Defence Procurement, today announced that the contract has been signed with the ATLAS Consortium for the MOD’s Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) (DII(F)) project.
  • Time UK abandoned its nuclear arms, says former Labour leader IRNA 28 Feb 2005 -- Former deputy leader of the Labour Party Toy Hattersley called on Prime Minister Tony Blair to decommission Britain`s nuclear weapons, if, as expected, his government is re-elected at the forthcoming general election.
  • UK keeps secret transfer of nuclear material from US IRNA 09 Feb 2005 -- The British government is to keep secret the transfers of special nuclear materials from the US that may constitute a breach of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon has revealed.
  • BAE SYSTEMS Bids Farewell To 29 Squadron BAE Systems 01 Jul 2005 -- To celebrate the on-schedule achievement of a vital milestone in the Typhoon programme, a Typhoon display and a formation flypast of four Typhoons marked the departure of the second Royal Air Force Typhoon squadron from Warton for their permanent base at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire today.



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