The United Kingdom Ministry of Defense (MOD) and MBDA have announced the renewal of their partnership for complex weapons, extending their collaboration for another decade.
The new Portfolio Management Agreement, known as PMA2, is valued at a minimum of £6.5 billion and aims to deliver advanced weapon systems to the UK Armed Forces with increased speed, lower costs, and enhanced efficiency.
Eric Beranger, CEO of MBDA, expressed his enthusiasm for the renewed partnership, stating, “PMA2 underlines the excellent work done by our colleagues to innovatively support the UK, acting as both a key sovereign national champion and as a conduit for international co-operation across our group and worldwide.”
Chris Allam, Managing Director of MBDA UK, emphasized the importance of this agreement, saying, “Renewing the MOD-MBDA partnership for a further decade underscores our role as a critical national asset supporting UK Defence. PMA2 will build upon the many successes of the past decade while delivering enhanced value, speed and agility for the UK Armed Forces and enabling better collaboration with our allies across Europe.”
The agreement is expected to generate £2 billion in benefits and efficiencies while advancing current weapon systems. Key projects under this agreement include the Future Cruise and Anti-Ship Weapon (FC/ASW), Land Precision Strike, and ongoing enhancements to the Meteor missile system.
The PMA2 framework incorporates lessons learned over the past decade to improve performance through various measures, including enhanced commercial agreements, faster procurement processes, and the implementation of ‘always-on’ manufacturing. This approach ensures that the defense industry is maintained at a high state of readiness to meet the MOD’s demands.