In a quieter day for defence news, there is reporting on gifting ammunition to the Kurdish Peshmerga and Pacific 24 boats.
Kurdish Peshmerga
The Times reports in today’s paper that Kurdish fighters that have been equipped by Britain with heavy machine guns have run out of ammunition. The article states that the Kurdish fighters have requested a resupply of .50 calibre rounds. As well as gifting 40 heavy machine guns with nearly half a million rounds, we have also provided over 50 tonnes of non-lethal support and £600,000 of military equipment to the Kurdish Peshmerga. Any further gifting of equipment to the Peshmerga would be done in coordination with the Coalition, the Government of Iraq and the Kurdish Regional Government. Our statement is not held in the article and can be seen below in full.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said:
The UK is playing a leading role in the fight against Daesh which is why we have responded positively to past requests for equipment and ammunition, and we will always consider what more we can do. While the Iraqi Security Forces are making solid progress, we recognise the important role the Kurds are playing and as part of our support we have trained over 3300 Peshmerga troops.
Pacific 24
The Portsmouth News and BBC South both report on the new line of Pacific 24 boats that are being made by BAE in Portsmouth. The reports state that the new generation boats will be used on the QE class carriers.
Read more about the Pacific 24 here.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:
These innovative boats will play a vital role in the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, working from our new aircraft carriers and right across the fleet conducting anti-piracy, counter narcotics, and rescue missions around the world. Our growing defence budget means we can invest in a bigger Royal Navy and sustain jobs in Portsmouth and the local area.
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