Articles of defence interest this morning include reporting on yesterdays Farnborough announcements and new access to student loans for families of members of the Armed Forces serving overseas.Farnborough
There is pick up in the newspapers today on announcements made at the Farnborough International Airshow in Hampshire yesterday. The FT, Daily Express, Daily Star, Independent and various Scottish newspapers carry yesterday’s story that the Government signed two deals for new aircraft worth £4.7bn with Boeing. Attending the opening of Farnborough air show, Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, confirmed a deal to purchase nine new P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft, part of a £3bn package to develop Britain’s maritime patrol capability, and 50 new Apache attack helicopters for the British Army, worth £1.7bn.
Apache helicopters
The Times suggests that the fall of the pound against the dollar will mean an increase to the cost of the Apache helicopters. The article states that while the new aircraft would be built in the United States, contracts for support and training were expected to create 350 jobs in Britain.
An MOD Spokesperson said:
This off the shelf option offers the best value for money by taking advantage of an established production line to give our Armed Forces the cutting edge capability they need.
You can read more about the announcements made at Farnborough International Airshow in the links below:
- MOD signs new partnering arrangement with Leonardo Helicopters UK
- MOD orders new fleet of cutting-edge Apache helicopters for Army
- MOD seals the deal on nine new Maritime Patrol Aircraft to keep UK safe
- PM: UK remains at forefront of world aerospace as new investment and jobs are announced
Military families overseas given access to student loans
The Telegraph reports on plans to change student funding rules to benefit military families who want to take up distance learning courses while posted abroad. The move will put an end to rules that prevent armed forces personnel and their family members getting access to student funding for distance learning courses because they are not based in the UK.
Defence Minister Mark Lancaster said:
It wasn’t fair on the armed forces community that, when posted abroad to serve our nation, they were not able to access the same funding for distance learning as people who live in the UK. That is why I am delighted that this government is removing that disadvantage, enabling these people to fulfil their ambitions. This is another example of our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant which is a promise from the nation to ensure our service personnel and their families are treated fairly.
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