The MOD has proudly announced that “2025 is set to be the best year for UK defence exports since records began more than 40 years ago after the Government secured over £20 billion worth of defence deals in a single year, backing thousands of skilled British jobs and companies across the UK.”
The top two headline deals, the Type 26 frigate sales to Norway and Typhoon jets to Türkiye, together accounted for the vast majority of the 2025 export total of over £20 billion. These large platform sales are what propelled the year’s figures to be record breaking, while a range of follow-on, service and smaller equipment exports contributed to the record overall value.
Whilst these deals may have made it an unusual year, the benefit to UK manufacturing is huge, in excess of 25,000 British jobs are ensured by these deals for years, if not decades, to come. So here are the top ten deals of 2025, with the associated value where available…
1. Sale of Type 26 frigates to Norway
Value: £10 billion
Norway agreed to purchase at least five UK-built Type 26 anti-submarine frigates, the largest British warship export on record. The deal supports thousands of jobs across the UK shipbuilding supply chain.
2. Sale of 20 Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Türkiye
Value: £8 billion
Description: The UK secured the largest fighter export deal in a generation with Türkiye for 20 Typhoon multirole fighter aircraft, supporting significant aerospace employment.
3. Sale of 12 C-130 Hercules aircraft to Türkiye
Value: £550 million plus
Marshall Aerospace Group in the UK sold 12 C-130 tactical transport aircraft to Türkiye, safeguarding hundreds of skilled jobs. This is one good piece of news for Marshall Aerospace, who have been reeling from the loss of business caused by the retirement of the RAF’s Hercules c130 fleet. The business reported a £120.1m loss for the year ending December 2024, so this sale is crucial.
4. Supacat transporter vehicles to Czechia
Value: Contract for 18 vehicles (value included in aggregate export figures, mid-hundreds of millions)
UK land systems specialist Supacat exported a fleet of HMT Extenda vehicles to the Czech special forces.
5. Potential AUKUS-linked export pipeline
Value: Not yet fully contracted but linked to up to £20 billion in potential exports under AUKUS cooperation
Part of a deeper trilateral collaboration with Australia and the US, the UK and Australian defence sectors established frameworks likely to generate major future exports.
6. Naval support and sustainment export options
Value: Significant ongoing through life support contracts for exported platforms
This represents follow-on through life support and sustainment services for exported naval and air platforms provide ongoing export revenue. (Implied from export total context)
7. Land vehicle systems and niche capability exports
Value: Multi-tens of millions across clients
Various land systems, including armoured support equipment and specialist vehicles, continued to flow to partner nations, showing the global demand for UK engineering.
8. Support equipment and integrated systems
Value: Aggregate value contributing to the £20bn total
Export of radar, communications, ammunition supply and integrated systems for overseas armies and air forces contributed to overall export figures.
9. Export of naval and maritime subsystems
Value: Part of the larger maritime deals
Description: Subsystems and sensors for maritime platforms, including sonar and combat management systems, were exported alongside full platform sales.
10. Aerospace systems and maintenance exports
Value: Included in export total through follow-up sales and service agreements
Service support, maintenance training and upgraded avionics exports to partners extended the value of key aerospace contracts.
