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Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)


2006 United Kingdom Special Weapons News



  • Blair presses ahead plans for new generation of nuclear arms IRNA 04 Dec 2006 -- Prime Minister Tony Blair is to press ahead with plans Monday to publish plans for Britain to buy a new generation of nuclear arms despite vociferous opposition including from his party's backbench MPs.
  • UK should halve its nuclear warheads, say Lib Dems IRNA 01 Dec 2006 -- Britain should halve the number of its nuclear warheads to show that disarmament under the terms of the Non-Proliferation Treaty is back on the international agenda, the country's third largest party, the Liberal Democrats, said Friday.
  • Blair 'in rush' to approve new generation of nuclear missiles IRNA 17 Nov 2006 -- Prime Minister Tony Blair was reported Friday to be `in a rush' to approve a new generation of nuclear weapons for Britain before he leaves office next year.
  • Thales awarded contract for major submarine sonar upgrade Thales 27 Sep 2006 -- Alex Dorrian, Chief Executive of Thales UK, said "I am very pleased that the MoD has selected Thales UK for this important upgrade programme and we look forward to continuing our long established relationship with the Royal Navy's Submarine Service, providing them with the state of the art world class capability."
  • Flagship refreshes partnering deal with Royal Navy BAE Systems 04 Sep 2006 -- Flagship Training Ltd (Flagship) has signed a Heads of Terms agreeing to a number of revisions to their successful 15-year partnering arrangement with the Royal Navy, which was originally signed in 1996.
  • Thales UK wins contract in excess of £50M for the FALCON Programme Thales 21 Aug 2006 -- Thales UK is a key partner in the BAE Systems FALCON team, which has been awarded a contract to supply the first increment of the FALCON information infrastructure programme.
  • EADS Wins MoD MASC Contract for Study EADS 22 Jul 2006 -- EADS Defence & Security Systems (DS) UK today has announced the award of a £250,000 study contract by the Ministry of Defence to study and define a MASC Enhanced Manned Rotary-Wing Solution for use on the two Future Aircraft Carriers (CVF). EADS DS UK will be required to detail the latest technology developments and capabilities for use in airborne surveillance support to these vessels. The contract forms part of the MoD’s Maritime Airborne Surveillance and Control (MASC) programme.
  • ‘Team CW’ Welcomes Minister’s Statement On Complex Weapons. EADS 19 Jul 2006 -- Leading members of the UK’s Complex Weapons (CW) industry welcomed the announcement today by Lord Drayson, UK Minister for Defence Procurement, of a package of measures aimed at securing sovereign capability in the sector for the UK’s Armed Forces. The package, which includes a number of key enabling contracts, is expected to lead in the longer term to full-scale development and manufacturing contracts. The most significant item within this package is the announcement to change to a sole source procurement policy for the Loitering Munition Development & Manufacture Programme to the MBDA-led Team CW.
  • Northrop Grumman Wins United Kingdom's Maritime Surveillance Study Northrop Grumman 18 Jul 2006 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded a contract to perform a study for the United Kingdom's Maritime Airborne Surveillance and Control (MASC) program. This study will concentrate on a manned rotary-wing solution for MASC, which will provide the future maritime airborne early warning and battle management system. Follow-on phases are expected to further define the preferred option or options, working towards a production contract after further U.K. Ministry of Defence approval.
  • EADS Wins MoD MASC Contract for Study EADS 17 Jul 2006 -- EADS Defence & Security Systems (DS) UK today has announced the award of a £ 250,000 study contract by the Ministry of Defence to study and define a MASC Enhanced Manned Rotary-Wing Solution for use on the two Future Aircraft Carriers (CVF). EADS DS UK will be required to detail the latest technology developments and capabilities for use in airborne surveillance support to these vessels. The contract forms part of the MoD’s Maritime Airborne Surveillance and Control (MASC) programme.
  • Thales UK to supply infra red search & track for tranche 2 Typhoon aircraft Thales 17 Jul 2006 -- And Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) sensors for the second tranche of Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft for the UK, Spain and Italy.
  • Thales UK wins £63m Future Lynx deal Thales 17 Jul 2006 -- Thales UK will play a major role in the Future Lynx helicopter programme following a ten-year, £63 million contract from AgustaWestland for avionics systems for the 70 aircraft being procured by the MoD.
  • Blair confident on winning vote to renew nuclear weapons IRNA 12 Jul 2006 -- Prime Minister Tony Blair Wednesday appeared confident that his government would win any vote later this year on replacing Britain's ageing nuclear weapons capability.
  • Road crash could detonate UK N-warheads: report IRNA 06 Jul 2006 -- Britain's Trident nuclear warheads damaged in a vehicle pile-up or plane crash could partially detonate and deliver a lethal radiation dose, according to a newly declassified report from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD).
  • Blair refuses parliamentary vote on replacing nuclear arms IRNA 28 Jun 2006 -- Prime Minister Tony Blair refused to say Wednesday whether he will grant a parliamentary vote before ordering a new generation of nuclear weapons.
  • BAE Systems announces new early launch date for Astute BAE Systems 26 May 2006 -- BAE Systems in Barrow-in-Furness has announced 8 June 2007 as the launch date for the first of class Astute nuclear powered attack submarine which means the Navys most advanced vessel will go into the water seven weeks ahead of the latest schedule.
  • Boeing Support Systems to Keep UK Chinook Helicopters Flying Boeing 22 May 2006 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today assumed logistics support responsibility for the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force CH-47 Chinook helicopter fleet. The Through Life Customer Support (TLCS) program, worth approximately $360 million for the first five years, is a 34-year performance-based logistics initiative expected to generate nearly $295 million in savings for the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD).
  • Ambush A BAE Systems sub in the suburbs BAE Systems 15 May 2006 -- The 235 tonne forward section of Ambush, the second of the Astute class submarines being built by BAE Systems in Barrow in Furness, North West England took to the road last Thursday, 11 May.
  • CORDA wins new maritime research programme BAE Systems 13 Apr 2006 -- CORDA (Centre for Operational Research & Defence Analysis), a wholly owned subsidiary of BAE Systems, has been awarded a new enabling contract by the UK MOD Research Acquisition Organisation to lead the delivery of the Maritime Surface Effects research programme for Defence Equipment Capability (Above Water Effects) (DEC(AWE)). The work involved could be instrumental in shaping military thinking over the next 20 years.
  • UK may need nuclear energy, says Blair IRNA 05 Apr 2006 -- Prime Minister Tony Blair has given his clearest indication to date that he may favor building a new generation of nuclear power stations to meet Britain's future energy needs.
  • General Dynamics’ AHED 8x8 Completes Second Phase of UK FRES Chassis Concept Trial General Dynamics 04 Apr 2006 -- General Dynamics United Kingdom Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), reports that its Advanced Hybrid Electric Drive (AHED) 8x8 wheeled test-bed demonstrator has successfully completed extended running trials in an 18 ton configuration. This is the second of three extended running trials.
  • UK's own nuclear deterrent is a `myth,' says defence analyst IRNA 24 Mar 2006 -- Britain is not a true nuclear power that can make their own nuclear weapons but are "mere clients of the US," according to defence analyst Dan Plesch.
  • The Future of Britain's WMD by Dan Plesch The Foreign Policy Centre Mar 2006 -- "This report discusses the successor to Britain 's Trident nuclear missile system. It examines British dependence on the United States and concludes that most of the discussion on the replacement is based on the false premise that the UK has an independent nuclear weapon. To support this conclusion, the report reviews the history of Britain 's involvement with nuclear weapons from 1940 to the present day to show a sixty-year-old pattern of British dependence on the US for Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD ). The report also concludes that Trident should not be replaced and should be phased out now, as neither Trident nor any US-supported successor would meet the '1940 requirement' for a system that the nation can rely on if it stands alone as in 1940."
  • U.K. Ministry of Defence Selects Raytheon for Next Phase of its MARS program Raytheon 15 Feb 2006 -- Raytheon Systems Limited (RSL), the U.K.-based subsidiary of Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), has been awarded a contract by the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MoD) to begin competitive "Assimilation Phase" studies for The Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) program.
  • Blair refuses vote pledge on replacing UK's nuclear arms IRNA 07 Feb 2006 -- Prime Minister Tony Blair Tuesday refused to say whether the government will allow a parliamentary vote on a decision due shortly on whether to replace Britain's ageing submarine-based Trident nuclear weapons system.
  • NPT may be constrained on updating nuclear arms, UK admits IRNA 01 Feb 2006 -- Britain's Defence Ministry has admitted that the government may face possible constraints to a future decision to be made on whether to replace its submarine-based Trident nuclear weapons due to its international obligations.



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