The future warhead to replace submarine-launched Trident systems will be developed as a "sovereign" capability and "in parallel" with the US W93/Mk7 warhead, according to the Defence Nuclear Enterprise Command Paper.
Despite the previous Conservative Party government pledging to increase military spending to 3 percent GDP by 2030, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stopped short of making any such commitment and has deferred a new defense spending review until after 2025.
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The UK, like the US, has faced a shortage of anti-tank weapons after sending hundreds to Ukraine for the battle with Russia.
The official declined to discuss which specific systems have been captured and passed over to intelligence groups and industry, but the revelation provides new evidence of the ways in which the UK is actively gaining first-hand insight to Kremlin technologies.
New UK defense takeovers "are a real and present danger, especially for mid-tier suppliers, who appear to be particularly vulnerable,” said Andrew Kinniburgh, director general at Make UK Defense, a manufacturing advisory body.