MOD appoints first Director General Innovation
The MOD has created and filled a new Director General Innovation post, with Anthony Reeves taking up the role. This is a structural change, not just a personnel move. It signals that innovation commissioning and oversight now has dedicated senior leadership inside the department, which affects how programmes get shaped and how SMEs are likely to be engaged. Watch for new policy or process changes flowing from this office, and consider whether your existing MOD relationships are with the right people.
Source →UK-Ukraine drone showcase held at Larkhill
UK and Ukrainian defence companies met at Larkhill Garrison to demonstrate battle-tested drone technology, with the event framed around accelerating innovation. This is a signal of active MOD interest in drone capabilities that have been proved in combat, not just developed in a lab. If you work in autonomous systems or UAS, the Larkhill event suggests there is a channel being built between Ukrainian operational experience and UK industrial development worth tracking.
Source →British companies to access Ukraine battlefield data for AI drone swarms
The MOD has announced that UK companies will gain access to Ukrainian battlefield data for the first time, specifically to develop AI models for drone swarms. This is a direct procurement and development signal for SMEs working in AI, autonomy, or UAS. Details on how access is structured, what data is available, and what the commercial route looks like are not fully set out in this signal, but the programme is confirmed as live.
Source →Cabinet Office tendering for cyber threat intelligence platform
The Cabinet Office has a live requirement for a COTS threat intelligence platform, including a portal and malware sandbox, to support its Cyber and Information Security function. This is an open tender on Contracts Finder, not an award notice. SMEs offering commercial threat intelligence or sandbox tooling should check eligibility and timeline before this closes.
Source →UK defence spending with industry hits record £34.1 billion
MOD spending with UK industry rose 3.2% to £34.1 billion in 2025/26, with the announcement framing this as a deliberate reindustrialisation drive that includes SMEs. The headline number matters less than what it implies about pipeline: sustained growth in spending means more sub-prime and direct contract opportunities are likely to follow. This is the context behind the offset policy and DG Innovation appointment seen elsewhere in today's signals.
Source →Today's signals point toward a MOD that is actively restructuring how it engages with industry on innovation, with the DG Innovation appointment, Ukraine data access programme, and record spending figures all pointing in the same direction at once.