United Kingdom (UK)

The UK government plans to adjust the rules around its air passenger duty (APD), with higher rates now set to apply to a larger range of business jet users.

The UK’s aviation weather forecaster is launching a new volcanic ash forecasting method to be made available for free to all airlines and the aviation industry.

The UK says it will spend £316 million ($412 million) more on the MBDA DragonFire laser air defense systems.

Keen Venture Partners has raised €150 million ($172.9 million) for its defense technology venture capital fund.

A UK Royal Air Force crew has been dazzled by a laser pointed at their aircraft from a Russian survey ship, UK Defense Secretary John Healey has said.

Joby’s hybrid eVTOL; maritime drone demonstrations; Tokyo air taxis; and advancing additive manufacturing.

The UK has launched a series of maritime drone projects aimed at demonstrating the ability to improve sustainability.

The technique was demonstrated several times during development and operational testing of the ship and the aircraft.

Leonardo is seeing its defense business booming as Europe spends more on defense, but there are issues worrying management.

The UK is looking to demonstrate an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) for use with its AH-64E attack helicopters in 2027.

Apium Swarm Robotics, a developer of distributed autonomy for unmanned systems, has signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Red Cat Holdings.

In its report on the UK F-35 program—published Oct. 31—the lawmakers said the fleet “faces significant capability gaps.”

The UK Space Agency is building out its satellite tracking capabilities.

The Defense Ministry is looking to set up a single unit to manage its satellites, creating an opportunity for closer cooperation between ISR and satcoms programs.

A UK firm is adapting tech developed for smartphones and driverless automobiles to provide the navigational accuracy for a new generation of low-cost munitions.

When Dronamics was founded 11 years ago, the Bulgarian startup took a contrarian view to the emerging commercial drone market.

The European Space Agency has dropped the Truths mission from its €22 billion ($25.5 billion) planned submission to member ministers.

Hybrid Air Vehicles, developer of the Airlander 10 hybrid airship, says it has secured reservations for three aircraft for military use.

London’s Metropolitan Police service has launched a pilot drone service to see if the technology can help them respond more quickly to emergency calls.

Airline pilots are increasingly looking at factors beyond salary when it comes to deciding whether to stay with their current employer or move on.

The Turkish government has finally confirmed it will soon take delivery of surplus Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules from the UK, after a long process.

London eVTOL operations will require buy-in from existing urban public transportation providers and local and national governmental entities, officials say.

The Coventry, UK, city council has deployed uncrewed aircraft systems on a wide variety of missions.

MROs in the UK must navigate complicated regulatory challenges and competition for qualified labor after Brexit.

The UK government-sponsored Future Flight Challenge officially came to an end in 2024, but on Sept. 29 the follow-on Future Flight Program announced a £4.4 million slate of awards.