On 19 March 2026, the Ministry of Defence convened senior representatives from 13 UK-based defence companies alongside Gulf ambassadors and defence attachés to examine rapid, defensive support for partners facing Iranian drone and missile attacks. The session was led by the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard, and the National Armaments Director, Rupert Pearce, with the Defence Secretary, John Healey, and the Foreign Office Minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, joining to underline the urgency, according to a government statement.
The MoD confirmed it intends to procure additional Lightweight Multirole Missiles for British forces and to support partner requirements, with UK-based training offered where needed. The missiles, manufactured by Thales UK in Belfast, have, the department said, already demonstrated effective performance in air-defence roles in the Middle East.
Discussions centred on defensive equipment and technologies that can be delivered at pace, including air-defence, counter‑drone systems and command‑and‑control software. Companies attending included ADS, MARSS, MSI, MBDA, Frankenberg, Leonardo UK, Thales, QinetiQ, OSL Ltd, BAE Systems, Ocean Infinity, Cambridge Aerospace and Uforce, selected for capabilities the government believes could be exported quickly.
Diplomatic representation covered Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Jordan. Officials provided briefings on the regional threat picture and on the UK Government’s response, and characterised the industry roundtable as the first in a series.
To accelerate delivery, the MoD said its National Armaments Director Group is moving to speed both financing and export licensing for partners in the Gulf. A new Task Force has been established within the Group to coordinate across government, support partners working with UK industry, manage conflict‑related impacts on the UK defence supply chain and assemble requirements for stock replenishment.
In practical terms, the Task Force is intended to streamline casework, align urgent partner requirements with available UK capacity and reduce friction across approvals and financing routes. The department presented the change as earlier and tighter coordination between policy, diplomacy and industrial production in support of defensive needs.
Ministers framed the initiative as a defensive response to Iranian activity and underscored that Armed Forces effectiveness depends on a resilient industrial base. While no detailed packages were published, officials pointed to capabilities that counter drones and missiles and can be fielded quickly, mirroring the approach taken with support to Ukraine.
Thales’s Belfast facility stands to see additional throughput from the planned LMM order. The MoD indicated that training for partner personnel in the UK would be available where needed, signalling emphasis on interoperability and sustainment alongside hardware supply.
The department also referenced a new UK–Ukraine partnership aimed at strengthening global defences against the proliferation of low‑cost, high‑tech systems, including drones. Taken together with the Gulf engagement, the statement highlighted a broader push to scale counter‑UAS and short‑range air‑defence solutions via coordinated government–industry effort.
Attention now turns to the pace of export‑licensing decisions, clarity on the next LMM production batch and delivery windows, and how the Task Force sequences partner requirements alongside replenishment of UK stocks. The MoD described this week’s meeting as a starting point and said it will continue work with industry and Gulf states on deliverable packages.