All articles by Richard Thomas

Richard Thomas

Richard is editor-in-chief for defence and transport at GlobalData. He has worked the UK defence beat since 2014, and previously the defence and diplomatic beats in Muscat, Oman, from 2008-2013.

Forecasts: Türkiye defence market data (2026-2035)

Türkiye’s defence spend is forecast to hit $73.7bn by 2031 (CAGR 8.9%) Acquisition totals $11.7bn in 2026, rising from 18% to 19% of the budget by 2031…
Nightclubs, novelty shops, and resorts among costs revealed by MoD

MoD spent £9.7m on ePCs in July 2026 (£3.1m virtual; £6.5m physical) Spend included hotels/resorts, bars/nightclubs, gift/novelty shops, and flights…
Human-guided autonomy: readiness payoff militaries can bank today

Drones are now consumables—scale beats scarcity Readiness is software, training, comms and supply chain—not just airframes Procurement must enable open,…
EU seizes Russian windfall profits as Ukraine notes July combat surge

EU redirects €1.4bn in profits from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine, bringing the total to about €8bn Most funds will…
Forecast: Global Missiles and Missile Defence Systems (2026-2036)

Market forecast: $62.2bn (2026) to $125.3bn (2036), 7.3% CAGR Biggest segments: platform-based MDS (31.2%) and anti-air missiles (28.7%) US ramps…

Industry poised for British Army’s LMV tender this week

MoD to publish the British Army’s LMV tender this week Trials planned for Oct 2026–Jan 2027 LMV to replace Land…
Synthetic and federated training: drone AI gets combat-ready

Countries such as the UK are boosting AI targeting/swarms funding EW, decoys and new camo quickly degrade previous training models…
Forecasts: Australia defence market data (2026-2035)

Australia’s defence budget is forecast to rise to $65.6bn by 2031 (7.1% CAGR) Growth is driven by major acquisitions and…
Battlefield networks: Nokia Defense and NestAI at the edge

Nokia Defense and NestAI are building edge-enabled, EW-resilient battlefield connectivity Three focus areas: deployable 5G AI C2, connectivity-aware mission planning,…
UK Government makes history with new Defence Secretary

Jarvis replaced by Wes Streeting in cabinet reshuffle Jarvis served just 40 days—the shortest on record Streeting becomes sixth Defence…