Ex-head of British Army to lead Santander’s defence lending Banking The former head of the British Army is set to lead Santander’s bid to bolster its defence lending as the industry experiences soaring demand with nations upping spending. General Sir Patrick Sanders was the chief of the general staff from 2022 to 2024 in the British Army and is set to join the Spanish-headquartered bank [...]
Rolls-Royce, BAE, Babcock: Defence shares rally after Trump remarks Markets Shares in London-listed defence firms rallied during early trading on Wednesday after President Donald Trump changed his tune on the Russia and Ukraine conflict. Aerospace firm BAE Systems led the City’s blue-chips with a 1.6 per cent gain to 1,982.50. Meanwhile Babcock was up over one per cent to 1,195 and FTSE darling Rolls-Royce rose [...]
UK defence tech pivots from taboo to City darling Tech The UK’s deep tech sector is navigating a seismic shift in investor sentiment toward defence technology. Once a frowned-upon sector, defence is now shedding its taboo, driven primarily by global instability and recent geopolitical headwinds. This transformation, while opening the doors to new investment opportunities, also reveals underlying issues in the UK’s approach to technology [...]
Babcock shares soar as FTSE 100 giant hails ‘new era’ for defence June 25, 2025 Engineering giant Babcock posted a jump in profit for the latest financial year as the firm’s boss hailed a “new era for defence”. The FTSE 100 company – which plays a significant role in supporting the UK’s nuclear submarine program – recorded an 11 per cent increase in revenue to £4.8bn. Meanwhile, operating profit surged [...]
Rolls-Royce signs £9bn submarines deal to create 1,000 jobs January 24, 2025 Rolls-Royce has signed a £9bn submarines deal which will create 1,000 jobs and is the biggest UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) contract in its history. The eight-year Unity contract covers research and technology, design, manufacture and in-service support of the nuclear reactors that power the Royal Navy’s fleet of submarines. The Derby-headquartered FTSE 100 giant [...]
Chemring shares plunge despite record orders December 17, 2024 Chemring shares plunged on Tuesday as production and foreign exchange headwinds dented investor confidence despite booming orders. The FTSE 250 British defence contractor’s order book reached a record £1.04bn in 2024, meaning more than two-thirds of next year’s revenue forecast is already covered. Such soaring demand saw Chemring double down on a target of reaching [...]
Aukus defence project can help drive growth agenda, says John Healey July 13, 2024 John Healey has set out the UK’s continued commitment to the Aukus defence project as he welcomed Australia’s defence minister to the country.