{"id":782837,"date":"2026-02-23T03:28:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T03:28:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/782837\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T03:28:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T03:28:14","slug":"wales-to-host-new-defence-tech-college-as-50m-growth-deal-targets-autonomous-systems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/782837\/","title":{"rendered":"Wales to host new defence tech college as \u00a350m growth deal targets autonomous systems"},"content":{"rendered":"

A \u00a350m defence investment agreement has been signed to position Wales as a hub for autonomous military technology, with ministers promising high-skilled jobs, improved access to defence contracts for smaller firms and the creation of a new engineering college.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Landmark defence deal targets autonomous capability<\/strong><\/p>\n

The \u00a350m Wales Defence Growth Deal was signed at Cardiff Castle by Defence Secretary John Healey, Wales First Minister Eluned Morgan and Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens.<\/p>\n

The agreement aims to strengthen the UK\u2019s capabilities in autonomous and uncrewed defence systems, including platforms used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations.<\/p>\n

Officials said thousands of skilled workers in Wales would be involved in designing, testing and manufacturing new technologies as the region becomes a launchpad for advanced defence innovation.<\/p>\n

Wider access to MOD facilities<\/strong><\/p>\n

A central element of the deal is improved access for industry to Ministry of Defence testing facilities in Wales, including those at MOD Aberporth.<\/p>\n

The UK government will also work with the Civil Aviation Authority<\/a> to expand air corridors across central Wales, allowing more testing of uncrewed aerial systems by both industry and the military.<\/p>\n

Ministers said the move would help speed up development cycles while building regional expertise in emerging defence technologies.<\/p>\n

Support for Welsh SMEs<\/strong><\/p>\n

The agreement also aims to remove long-standing barriers for Welsh small and medium-sized enterprises seeking defence work.<\/p>\n

Officials said SMEs will be supported in gaining security clearances and access to classified contracts directly, rather than relying solely on large prime contractors.<\/p>\n

The approach is intended to \u201clevel the playing field\u201d and unlock homegrown innovation within Wales\u2019s defence supply chain.<\/p>\n

Defence engineering college planned<\/strong><\/p>\n

As part of the deal, the UK and Welsh governments intend to establish a Defence Technical Excellence College by September 2027.<\/p>\n

The institution will train engineers and technicians to support Britain\u2019s expanding autonomous defence capabilities, while helping build a long-term skills pipeline for the sector.<\/p>\n

Industry reaction<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kevin Craven, chief executive of ADS<\/a>, said defence growth deals were a key feature of the UK\u2019s Defence Industrial Strategy and were designed to strengthen regional industrial bases.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cHere in Wales, where the industrial footprint includes strengths in unmanned capabilities and advanced component manufacturing, this support is particularly pertinent,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Craven added that the deal aligned government and industry goals of strengthening deterrence while creating high-value employment in local communities.<\/p>\n

Broader economic push<\/strong><\/p>\n

The announcement follows wider joint UK-Welsh infrastructure initiatives, including plans for seven new railway stations intended to boost construction jobs and regional development.<\/p>\n

Ministers said the defence deal demonstrated a commitment to building advanced manufacturing capability outside traditional defence hubs while creating skilled employment opportunities across Wales.<\/p>\n

For more articles like this, visit our Leadership<\/a> channel<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A \u00a350m defence investment agreement has been signed to position Wales as a hub for autonomous military technology,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":782838,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5010],"tags":[162906,748,22792,4884,1302,897,3181,15285,22793,16,15,1764],"class_list":["post-782837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wales","tag-autonomousvehicles","tag-britain","tag-businessmodels","tag-great-britain","tag-innovation","tag-jobs","tag-leadership","tag-rd","tag-skills","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-wales"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116117825398891221","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=782837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782837\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/782838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=782837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=782837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=782837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}