Written questions by Cartlidge.

How many times (a) he and (b) his ministerial colleagues have visited the UK base in Bahrain since 5 July 2024.

All Ministerial overseas travel is published quarterly online within the Transparency Returns on GOV.UK.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Billion-pound helicopter deal secures 3,300 British jobs, boosts battlefield kit and unlocks up to £15 billion in UK exports, published on 2 March 2026, what proportion of the £1 billion contract will be spent on delivering (a) NMH and (b) Proteus.

Given the hon. Gentleman’s former role as the Minister for Defence Procurement he will be aware of the details of the New Medium Helicopter (NMH) contract. We have improved upon that deal, renewing and strengthening MOD’s relationship with a key industry partner. Aside from the contract to supply 23 AW149 aircraft, Leonardo have agreed that future military international orders will be built in the UK, with an increased workshare for the UK above 40%. Moreover, Leonardo have also agreed to make the United Kingdom the home of exports for the AW149, with the potential for over £15 billion of export opportunities over the next decade. In addition, Leonardo have agreed to make Yeovil their global centre of excellence for autonomous helicopters, building on the ongoing successful development of Project Proteus. The £1 billion deal with Leonardo for NMH does not include funding committed to Proteus. Proteus is a £60 million programme, with information on the additional funding to be published in due course.

Whether he had plans to deploy a Type 45 Destroyer to Cyprus prior to 2 March 2026.

As the Chief of Defence Staff has said, following Iran’s reckless retaliation, recommended last Tuesday that HMS Dragon should be deployed. Ministers then signed this off immediately. HMS Dragon will be armed with the necessary available capabilities to meet the operational need and will remain in the region for as long as required to meet our objectives.

Whether he has begun preparations for the deployment of HMS Dragon to Cyprus.

As the Chief of Defence Staff has said, following Iran’s reckless retaliation, recommended last Tuesday that HMS Dragon should be deployed. Ministers then signed this off immediately. HMS Dragon will be armed with the necessary available capabilities to meet the operational need and will remain in the region for as long as required to meet our objectives.

Whether DragonFire will be installed on HMS Dragon for its deployment to Cyprus.

As the Chief of Defence Staff has said, following Iran’s reckless retaliation, recommended last Tuesday that HMS Dragon should be deployed. Ministers then signed this off immediately. HMS Dragon will be armed with the necessary available capabilities to meet the operational need and will remain in the region for as long as required to meet our objectives.

What the planned length is of HMS Dragon's deployment to Cyprus.

As the Chief of Defence Staff has said, following Iran’s reckless retaliation, recommended last Tuesday that HMS Dragon should be deployed. Ministers then signed this off immediately. HMS Dragon will be armed with the necessary available capabilities to meet the operational need and will remain in the region for as long as required to meet our objectives.

Whether he held discussions with Ministers regarding the deployment of capabilities to Cyprus between 19 February and 2 March 2026.

The Defence Secretary strongly recognises the strategic importance Cyprus provides to the UK and its allies, with discussions regarding capability deployments in the region being seen as a priority for our operational interests and broader security cooperation.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 February to Question 110439 on Defence: Expenditure, what the remaining 0.47% of GDP to be spent on defence in 2027-28 that will not be spent on the MOD budget will be spent on.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I provided to him on 4 March 2026 in response to his Question 116532.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 February to Question 110439 on Defence: Expenditure, if he will itemise what the UK will spend on defence in 2027-28 that will not be defined as MOD budget expenditure.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I provided to him on 4 March 2026 in response to his Question 116532.

Whether he plans to publish a strategy on stockpiling one-way attack drones on UK territory.

In addition to the ongoing deployment of the Callen‑Lenz Nyan One‑Way Effector with UK Forces on Operation CABRIT, the Army, supported by Defence Equipment and Support and Defence Science Technology Laboratory, is reviewing long‑term stockpile options to ensure an appropriate balance between resilience, production capacity, the ability to upgrade at pace, and maintaining a predominantly UK/European supply chain.

Whether he plans to stockpile one way attack drones on UK territory.

In addition to the ongoing deployment of the Callen‑Lenz Nyan One‑Way Effector with UK Forces on Operation CABRIT, the Army, supported by Defence Equipment and Support and Defence Science Technology Laboratory, is reviewing long‑term stockpile options to ensure an appropriate balance between resilience, production capacity, the ability to upgrade at pace, and maintaining a predominantly UK/European supply chain.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 February to Question 112837 on Navy: North Atlantic Ocean, whether the £14 million referred to is separate to the £10 million of pre-concept funding announced.

I can confirm that the £10 million is included in the £14 million pre-concept funding that has been announced.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Billion-pound helicopter deal secures 3,300 British jobs, boosts battlefield kit and unlocks up to £15 billion in UK exports, published on 2 March 2026, whether he plans to procure any further new medium-lift helicopters beyond the 23 announced.

The Army does not currently plan to procure any additional medium lift helicopters beyond the 23 already announced. As with all major capabilities, the size of the medium lift fleet will be kept under review to ensure it remains aligned with Defence planning assumptions and operational need.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Enemy weapons detector in the hands of soldiers five years early, published on 14 February 2026, what is the in service date for SONUS.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to questions 117361 and 117362 on 9 March 2026 which remain extant.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 February to Question 112837 on Navy: North Atlantic Ocean, how much money will be committed to testing and development in each remaining financial year of this Parliament.

The Defence Investment Plan, when published, will set the funding envelope for this and we will publish it shortly.

Whether the New Medium Helicopter will be included in the Defence Investment Plan.

The £1 billion New Medium Helicopter (NMH) contract secures thousands of skilled British jobs, boosts the UK Armed Forces’ capability and makes Britain Leonardo’s global centre for military helicopter production and exports – worth a potential £15 billion over the next decade. Having inherited the NMH programme from the previous Government, we have improved upon it by securing Leonardo’s agreement that future military international orders will be built in the UK, with an increased workshare for the UK above 40%. In addition to the NMH deal, Leonardo has agreed to make Yeovil their global centre of excellence for autonomous helicopters, putting the UK at the forefront of the defence technology of tomorrow.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 February to Question 110439 on Defence: Expenditure, what elements of the 2.6% of GDP spent on Defence in 2027 will not be spent on the MOD budget.

Defence Expenditure is defined by NATO.

Whether he has met with representatives from the defence industry on the potential impact of the time taken to publish the Defence Investment Plan on closures of UK defence firms.

The Secretary of State for Defence and other Defence Ministers engage regularly with a wide range of industry stakeholders which make us aware of industry's requirements. These are through established forums, bilateral meetings, and routine commercial engagement, where we comply with market regulation on disclosure of information. We have signed 4,010 Defence contracts since July 2024, including 1,335 with a value of £1 million or more, and spent more than £31 billion with UK industry last year – an above inflation increase in spending. This Government has announced a billion-pound helicopter deal which secures 3,300 British jobs, boosts battlefield kit, and supports industry and exports. This demonstrates our commitment to strengthening sovereign industrial capability and modernising key battlefield support assets.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the time taken to publish the Defence Investment Plan on the UK defence industry.

The Secretary of State for Defence and other Defence Ministers engage regularly with a wide range of industry stakeholders which make us aware of industry's requirements. These are through established forums, bilateral meetings, and routine commercial engagement, where we comply with market regulation on disclosure of information. We have signed 4,010 Defence contracts since July 2024, including 1,335 with a value of £1 million or more, and spent more than £31 billion with UK industry last year – an above inflation increase in spending. This Government has announced a billion-pound helicopter deal which secures 3,300 British jobs, boosts battlefield kit, and supports industry and exports. This demonstrates our commitment to strengthening sovereign industrial capability and modernising key battlefield support assets.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Billion-pound helicopter deal secures 3,300 British jobs, boosts battlefield kit and unlocks up to £15 billion in UK exports, published on 2 March 2026, whether he plans to integrate new medium-lift helicopter with uncrewed aircraft in the (a) current or (b) next Parliament.

The New Medium Helicopter (NMH) has been procured with an open architecture that will enable integration with crewed and uncrewed systems as future requirements and funding are defined by Defence. This approach is supported by the wider benefits delivered through the £1 billion NMH contract, which secures thousands of skilled UK jobs, significantly increases UK industrial workshare, and establishes Yeovil as Leonardo’s global centre of excellence for autonomous helicopter technology. These investments strengthen the UK’s long-term capacity to develop and exploit emerging uncrewed aviation capabilities. While this provides a clear pathway for future interoperability, the platform will not be delivered as an uncrewed capability in this Parliament or the next.