Written question asked by James Cartlidge (Conservative) on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 6 July 2026. It was answered by Luke Pollard (Labour) on Thursday, 9 July 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Skynet

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the capability gap created by his Department's decision to cancel the Skynet 6 programme.

Answer: The Skynet 6 programme has not been cancelled. There is continued investment in the delivery of the next generation of systems to support satellite communications out to the 2040s. As reported in the Defence Investment Plan, there has been a change in approach for one element of the Skynet 6 programme: the previously planned procurement of the Narrowband Satellite System has ceased in favour of delivery of equivalent capability through a more flexible approach which combines sovereign capability with modern technologies and "space-as-a-service" solutions alongside allies.

Secondary information