Welcome to this festive period’s British military news update, covering developments across the British Army, Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Air Force and veterans’ affairs. While most people were preparing for Christmas and the New Year, the Armed Forces were signing major industrial deals, expanding undersea and Arctic operations, updating training systems and celebrating exceptional service in the New Year Honours. Here is your full UK Armed Forces briefing for the close of 2025 and the start of 2026.

British Army: New Artillery, Export Boom and A Changing Relationship With Society

The British Army ended the year with a significant boost to its firepower and to the industrial base that supports it.

Just after Christmas, the UK and Germany signed a £52 million artillery contract for state of the art systems. The deal will see British and German gunners move towards a common, modern platform and ammunition, improving interoperability on NATO’s eastern flank and strengthening shared supply chains. For soldiers, it promises longer range, greater accuracy and a better chance of outgunning potential adversaries in future high intensity conflict.

The artillery contract sits within a much bigger picture. The government confirmed that British defence exports in 2025 are expected to exceed £20 billion, the highest level since records began. Big ticket warship and fighter aircraft deals dominate the headlines, but the land sector also benefits through vehicles, weapons, communications systems and training services. More than 25,000 jobs are directly supported by these exports, many of them in Army linked industries across the Midlands and North of England. It is a reminder that British Army capability depends on a healthy, export ready industrial base.

At the same time, the relationship between the Armed Forces and wider society is evolving. The Ministry of Defence announced plans for a paid, gap year style military placement scheme for young people under 25, due to begin in 2026. The pilot will offer a limited number of two year placements in the Army, Navy and RAF, giving participants a taste of service life and valuable skills, without committing them to a full career or deployment on operations. The idea draws on similar schemes in countries such as Australia and is part of a broader move towards a “whole of society” approach to defence.

However, the Defence Secretary has been clear that the UK does not plan to copy European style national service. He has ruled out compulsory or broad voluntary conscription schemes, arguing instead for a well equipped, professional Armed Forces that can be reinforced by better reserves, cyber specialists and targeted gap year programmes. Recent speeches from the Chief of the Defence Staff have also emphasised the need to reconnect society with the Armed Forces and to have a more honest national conversation about risk and resilience.

For the British Army, the end of 2025 therefore combines new guns, stronger export orders and a subtle shift in how the nation expects to use and support its professional soldiers in the years ahead.

Royal Navy: Drones, Minehunting and A Tri-Service Christmas in the South Atlantic

For the Royal Navy, the final weeks of 2025 were dominated by undersea warfare and far flung operations.

Reports confirmed that the Navy has been trialling a fleet of low cost sea drones to help patrol the North Atlantic for Russian submarines. These small, largely autonomous craft are designed to form a “picket line” between the UK, Iceland and Greenland, listening for hostile submarines and feeding data back into the wider Atlantic Bastion concept for undersea defence. Cheap enough to be deployed in large numbers and hard to detect in rough seas, they complement traditional frigates and patrol aircraft, and reflect a shift towards a hybrid fleet of crewed and uncrewed systems.

Minehunting capability also received a year end upgrade. A £10 million contract will provide portable autonomous command centres for future mine warfare operations. Instead of relying on ageing minehunters, the Royal Navy will increasingly use uncrewed surface and underwater vehicles controlled from these containerised hubs, which can be loaded onto different ships as needed. It is another practical step towards the First Sea Lord’s vision of a more agile, modular and technologically enabled navy by the end of the decade.

Operationally, the Navy closed out the year in dramatic surroundings. HMS Forth, the Falkland Islands patrol ship, headed south to remote South Georgia in support of a combined Army, RAF and Royal Navy exercise. The deployment saw troops and aircrew train in snow, high winds and freezing seas, testing logistics and joint working in some of the harshest conditions on earth. It underlines how Southern Ocean patrols are about far more than flying the flag. They are also about keeping skills sharp in remote, demanding environments.

Finally, the Royal Navy community had cause to celebrate over the New Year. Sailors and Royal Marines were among those honoured by The King in the New Year Honours list, recognised for everything from frontline operations and submarine command, to engineering, welfare support and rehabilitation work. For many families, seeing their loved ones named in the list was a fitting end to a busy and challenging year.

Royal Marines: Back To The Arctic For A New Era With Norway

The Royal Marines began 2026 by returning, in force, to a region that has defined much of their modern history.

In early January, the Corps confirmed the deployment of a substantial commando grouping to the Arctic Circle, as part of a new era of joint operations with Norway. Royal Marines will train and operate alongside Norwegian troops in defence of NATO’s northern flank, building on decades of cold weather expertise while adapting to new threats such as drones, long range precision fires and undersea saboteurs.

Training will focus on survival and warfighting in deep snow and temperatures far below zero, as well as amphibious raids into icy fjords, long distance ski patrols and the protection of key infrastructure along the coast. The deployments are a clear acknowledgement that the High North is once again a key theatre in great power competition, and that Britain intends its commandos to be at the forefront of deterrence and defence there.

Some Royal Marines were also among those recognised in the New Year Honours, particularly for leadership in training, operational excellence and for supporting injured personnel back into meaningful roles. Combined with the Arctic deployment, the honours list reinforces the image of the Corps as a small, elite force punching well above its numerical weight.

Royal Air Force: New Helicopter, Synthetic Training and North Atlantic Patrols

The Royal Air Force finished the year by investing in training systems and platforms that will shape airpower for decades to come.

The RAF confirmed an extension to the Gladiator synthetic training contract, which supports a sophisticated virtual environment where Typhoon and other aircraft crews can train together in realistic, networked scenarios without leaving the ground. By linking simulators in the UK with allies overseas, Gladiator allows pilots, controllers and intelligence specialists to rehearse complex missions, including contested airspace and integrated air and missile defence, in a safe and cost effective way. This keeps skills sharp even when aircraft availability and budgets are tight.

On the rotary side, the first Jupiter HC2 helicopter completed its maiden flight in the UK. Based on the Airbus H145, the Jupiter will be used as part of the UK Military Flying Training System to teach multi engine helicopter skills to future pilots from all three services. It will eventually replace older training aircraft, providing a modern cockpit, improved safety and a more relevant stepping stone towards front line types such as the Puma, Chinook and Merlin.

Maritime patrol also featured in year end updates. RAF Poseidon MRA1 aircraft have been working closely with Icelandic authorities, using their advanced sensors to monitor sea lanes, search for submarines and support search and rescue in the North Atlantic. This cooperation deepens the UK’s relationship with a key partner on the Greenland–Iceland–UK gap, and ties in directly with the Royal Navy’s move towards a more data rich, drone enhanced Atlantic posture.

Like their colleagues in the other services, RAF personnel across operations, engineering, logistics and support were recognised in the New Year Honours for outstanding service. The list captures the breadth of roles required to keep modern air operations going, from pilots and aircrew to ground trades and civil servants.

Veterans’ Affairs: Covenant Report And Honours For Forces Welfare Champions

In veterans’ affairs, the end of the year was marked by both formal assessment and very personal stories of dedication.

The government published the Armed Forces Covenant annual report 2025, setting out what has been achieved for serving personnel, veterans and families, and where gaps remain. The report highlights progress in areas such as school admissions for children from service families, priority treatment in some health pathways and increased awareness of the Covenant among local authorities and businesses. It also acknowledges continuing challenges, particularly around access to NHS dentistry, mental health support, data sharing between departments and consistent delivery of pledges across different regions.

Alongside the report, the New Year Honours brought the human side of Covenant work into sharp focus. One Royal Navy warrant officer, for example, was made an MBE after helping more than 1,000 sailors and Royal Marines recover from serious illness and injury and rebuild their careers and lives. Stories like this show how much of the real work of veteran and welfare support happens quietly behind the scenes, through committed individuals who guide people through complex medical, administrative and emotional journeys.

For the wider Forces community, the combination of a formal annual report and public honours sends a clear message. Recognition of service does not end when someone takes off their uniform. There is an increasing expectation that government, employers, charities and the public will all play their part in ensuring veterans and families are treated fairly.

Strategic Summary

The period from 19 December 2025 to 2 January 2026 provides a revealing snapshot of where UK defence is heading.

On land, the British Army is securing new artillery, benefitting from record defence exports and exploring new ways to bring society closer to the Armed Forces through gap year style schemes, while still insisting on a professional core. At sea, the Royal Navy is moving rapidly towards a hybrid fleet, using drones and autonomous command centres to protect vital undersea infrastructure and sea lanes, even as it maintains a visible presence from the South Atlantic to the Arctic gateway.

The Royal Marines are once again leaning into their cold weather specialism, returning to the Arctic alongside Norway in recognition that the High North is central to NATO’s deterrence strategy. In the air, the RAF is investing in synthetic training, new helicopters and North Atlantic cooperation that will help keep it at the cutting edge of modern air and maritime patrol operations.

Across all of this sit veterans and families, supported by the Armed Forces Covenant, by targeted welfare schemes and by dedicated individuals who often work out of the limelight. The recurring themes are modernisation, alliances, undersea and Arctic security, and a renewed focus on the human element of defence.

Keep Following Our Weekly Updates

That concludes this festive period’s UK Armed Forces Weekly News Roundup. From new artillery and undersea drones to Arctic commando deployments, advanced air training systems and Covenant backed veteran support, the turn of the year has been busy for Britain’s Armed Forces.

Explore our collection of British military themed prints, featuring Royal Navy warships, RAF aircraft, Royal Marines commandos and British Army scenes. Whether you are a veteran, collector or enthusiast, our artwork brings the story of the UK Armed Forces into your home.

Join us again next Friday for your next UK Armed Forces Weekly News Roundup.