All posts tagged: Ministry of Defence

British Army member dies in Iraq training accident | UK | News

British Army member dies in Iraq training accident | UK | News

Published by Sam Flores

A member of the British Army died in a training accident in Iraq on Sunday, the Ministry of Defence said. UK Defence Secretary, John Healey, confirmed the incident took place in the north of the country on Sunday. The soldier’s identity has not been released and it has not yet known how the incident occurred. Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Healey said: “A training accident occurred in Northern Iraq yesterday for which a service personnel from the British Army has died. The family has been informed and asked for a period of grace before further details are released. I know the thoughts of the House are with the family.” A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence added: “It is with deep regret that we can confirm that a training accident occurred in northern Iraq on Sunday 31 May 2026 in which a service person from the British Army died. The service person’s family have been informed and have requested a period of grace before further details are released. Our thoughts and sympathies are …

Babcock takes £140m hit from reworks to new Royal Navy warships

Babcock takes £140m hit from reworks to new Royal Navy warships

Published by Sam Flores

Defence giant Babcock has revealed it took a £140 million hit for late-stage reworks to its newest Royal Navy warships. The London-listed company, which is a major contractor for the Ministry of Defence, told investors that its annual financial results had been impacted by the charge on its Type 31 contract. Under the contract, Babcock is set to deliver five frigates that are being built at its manufacturing site in Rosyth in Fife. The first and second ships took to the water for the first time during the past year after four years of construction. But Babcock said on Wednesday it had experienced “higher than expected levels of rework as a result of changes to the design” and that the work “is being performed in the later stages of completion, and therefore is more complex and more costly”. The third and fourth ships are still in early construction stages so will not be as affected by reworks as the first two, it said. Babcock said the £140 million charge reflects the revised costs needed to …

Royal Navy warship HMS Iron Duke ‘quietly withdrawn’ to leave Britain with just five active frigates

Royal Navy warship HMS Iron Duke ‘quietly withdrawn’ to leave Britain with just five active frigates

Published by Sam Flores

The Royal Navy’s active frigate fleet has reportedly shrunk to just five vessels after HMS Iron Duke was effectively taken out of service, despite no official decommissioning announcement. The Type 23 warship has been stripped of its weapons and sensors and has not been operational at sea since last October, according to specialist news website Navy Lookout. This development comes as the Ministry of Defence (MoD) progresses plans to replace its Type 23 frigates, including HMS Iron Duke, with a new generation of warships. Eight anti-submarine warfare Type 26 frigates are expected to join the fleet before 2030, complemented by five general-purpose Type 31 frigates. The MoD plans to replace Type 23 frigates, including HMS Iron Duke, with a new generation of warships (PA Media) The modernisation aims to build a “hybrid” force, integrating crewed ships with drones and other advanced technology, a vision outlined by First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins. The decision to effectively sideline HMS Iron Duke follows the government’s confirmation last November that a planned conversion project for the vessel …