Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S)

Defence Secretary John Healey has announced that the UK will supply 650 Lightweight Multirole Missile to Ukraine. 🇺🇦 This contract approved under Task Force HIRST led by our Director Strategic Capability, Engagement and Operations, Maj Gen Anna-Lee Reilly CB, ramps up defence industrial capacity and capability. Maj Gen Anna-Lee Reilly CB said 💬 “DE&S continues to work at pace, playing a pivotal role delivering this essential equipment to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.” More 👉 https://ow.ly/FJhX50ThzLh #StandWithUkraine

💻 A new era of technology is transforming how we equip and support our armed forces. Our digital experts, Gió Musmeci, Head of Digital Service Integration, and Daniel England, Digital Solutions Architect, have shared insights with ITNOW, the magazine for IT Professionals, about how we’re harnessing the power of AI and cloud computing at a time of heightened global tensions. ⬇️ Thanks for having us, BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.

The International Fund for Ukraine (IFU) has just reached an important milestone. 👇 It comes after the Prime Minister announced the IFU’s largest-ever support package at the NATO Summit with a £300m contract to supply 152mm artillery shells for Ukraine’s Soviet-era guns. Our Rapid Procurement team was pivotal in sourcing this equipment, with contracts signed and thousands of shells expected before the end of the year – providing a boost for Ukraine’s stockpiles. #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦

🚀 16/08/2024 ⌚11:56 am 📍California #ICYMI: Last month, UK Space Command launched the first military satellite, named Tyche, into space. Comparable in size to a washing machine, Tyche will strengthen the UK’s intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance capabilities by capturing footage from the Earth’s surface.

Type 26 programme milestone achieved. ☑️ HMS Cardiff has officially entered the water for the first time as she now prepares for the float-off process. Pat Browning, DE&S T26 team leader, said: 💬 "We are delighted to have reached this key milestone in the build programme for HMS Cardiff. “This is a significant achievement for the entire Type 26 programme team and is a moment we can all be proud of, as we continue to work towards delivering the new fleet of the Royal Navy’s most cutting-edge Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates."

Did you know? 💡 We share features with our Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in every Desider magazine. In May, we heard from Adam, Digital Engineering team leader. As engineering has evolved from pen and paper to today's thriving digital age, he's witnessed the progress that's been made. Find out how we're learning from Adam's experience, taking approaches to speed up defence acquisition and why exploiting digital ways of working, digital tools and digital processes is becoming increasingly important. Read now 👇

It's official! The first oyster conservation project on UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) estate is underway to reintroduce at least 2,000 European flat oysters - native to the UK and grown at Navy Command’s HMS Excellent headquarters - to the Solent. Known as the Whale Island Native Oyster Restoration Project, this is a joint initiative between the DE&S Salvage and Marine Operations (SALMO) Wrecks team, the Royal Navy, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and the Blue Marine Foundation charity, to re-establish a healthy population of native oysters. 💡 Did you know? Just one adult oyster can filter up to 200 litres of water a day by removing chemicals and pollutants, which could aid in optimising the operating environment for Royal Navy vessels. The project is managed by Harriet Rushton from the DE&S SALMO Wrecks team, she said: 💬 “It has been very exciting to establish and manage this project. These oysters are being grown for conservation to re-introduce a lost native keystone species in the Solent, which will enhance biodiversity and help clean the water. Thank you to all those who continue to assist and make this happen, I look forward to continuing this project together.”

Delivered: Three more Boeing Apache AH-64Es are now in the hands of the British Army, increasing the size of the attack helicopter fleet. Read the latest on the programme in this month’s Desider magazine.👇

Did you know? The fourth cohort of DE&S colleagues are now halfway through their six-month cross-government mentoring programme with the North Bristol NHS Trust. The initiative – which emerged from a collaboration during the Covid pandemic to design and build a temporary hospital – matches DE&S colleagues with an NHS partner based on experience, interests and future aspirations. 🤝 🗣 Harriet Narey, Project Manager at DE&S and participant in this year’s programme, said: “I decided to take part in the DE&S and NHS Mentoring Scheme last year as a mentee, when I was working in the NHS, to develop my knowledge on project and programme management. It really helped with a programme I was managing at the time. “Now as a DE&S employee, having joined earlier this year, I decided to be a mentor and was matched with a mentee in my old organisation. I really enjoy developing people and get a lot of personal satisfaction from the programme by being able to support them in finding solutions to problems that they are finding in their workplace.” 💡 Since the initiative launched in 2020, a total of 142 professionals have collaborated.

📍 Leonardo, Edinburgh Our CEO ended his defence industry tour at Leonardo's Edinburgh site, visiting its Radar, Laser and Manufacturing Centres of Excellence. Earlier this summer, a programme of ground-based testing was completed on a Eurofighter Typhoon test and evaluation aircraft equipped with the advanced new DE&S-procured European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk2 radar. The work was undertaken by engineers at BAE Systems’ flight testing facility in Warton, Lancashire, supported by teams from Leonardo UK, which developed the radar at its Edinburgh and Luton sites. Andy said: 💬 “Visiting the home of the UK's combat air radar was a great highlight, along with experiencing the unique anechoic chamber used for electromagnetic testing. From the apprentices I met, to those working in specialist roles across the organisation's many functions, it was clear to see that effective collaboration is central to the programmes delivered here."