The six programmes, ships and aircraft culled in Keir Starmer's Defence Investment Plan

Labour's Defence Investment Plan (DIP) has set out a number of military programmes to be scrapped.

Sir Keir Starmer finally unveiled the long-overdue DIP on Tuesday, with a focus on autonomous operations and drones.

But the £15billion uplift to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) - around half what defence chiefs say Britain needs to defend itself - comes with cuts to existing programmes for Navy vessels, missiles, and helicopters.

Ex-Defence Secretary John Healey told MPs on Tuesday: "Today’s step means that we will be spending, as a nation, 2.7 per cent of GDP on defence in 2030... The date that Nato now warns we could face a Russian attack."

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But the outgoing Prime Minister said he was proud of the DIP, widely billed as the cornerstone of his legacy in No10.

Sir Keir claimed the "number one commitment" of all Labour governments has been defence and security.

He added: "I am absolutely certain that this is the platform on which whoever comes after me can build, and I’m proud that it is, and I will do everything within my power to make sure that any transition is orderly and that we go from strength to strength."

Under his plans, six key programmes, ships and aircraft will face a series of cuts.

Britain will discontinue its Storm Shadow missile programme and replace it with the Stratus "stealth" missile, being developed alongside France and Italy.

The long-range missile has been supplied to Ukraine and has allowed Kyiv to strike targets deep inside Russian territory.

Development of the Stratus missiles had sustained more than 1,300 jobs in Britain, the Government said.

Next to be scrapped is Skynet 6, a narrowband satellite system. Instead, its predecessor Skynet 5 will be extended.

The satellite system provides strategic communications to UK Armed Forces and satellites.

The National Space and Defence Space Strategies from February 2022 previously invested over £5billion into the Skynet programme.

MORE ON THE DEFENCE INVESTMENT PLAN:

• WATCH IN FULL: John Healey delivers verdict on Labour defence spending after quitting in protest
• Labour blasted for axing £700m road projects for defence spending as MP demands 'urgent meeting'
• Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves congratulate each other on defence plan despite falling short

Plans for a "hybrid navy" approach, utilising autonomous naval drones, has led to proposed type 83 destroyers and type 32 frigates also being scrapped.

The type 83 would have been a direct replacement to the Type 45 class vessel, with type 32 frigates succeeding the type 26 and type 31 frigates.

Defence Minister Luke Pollard said the conceptual vessels were inherited from previous governments and unfunded, adding that he "can’t field CGI against Putin".

Funds are now being diverted to Common Combat Vessels (CCVs), described as "control hubs" or command platforms.

The hybrid navy approach may be a direct example of learning the MoD has taken from the Ukraine and Iran wars - where drones have been used to devastating effect.

Last month, Iranian forces shot down a US helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz.

Its two pilots were recovered by a US Corsair Sea drone, usually used for mine detecting or surveillance, but can carry around three to four people - enough to be used to recover the airmen without the need to deploy any troops.

Two older Type 23 frigates are now being retired, having been built for a lifespan of around 18 years.

They are set to be replaced by Type 26 and Type 31 frigates, which are currently being built in Scotland.

Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge told GB News on Tuesday that money allocated for the Chagos Islands should be used to "accelerate the manufacture and production of the 13 frigates which are being built in Scotland, the Type 26 and the Type 20, 30, and 31 frigates".

Some older Chinook helicopters - which transport troops and were used to intercept Russia's shadow tanker - will also be retired under the plan.

The military has already experimented with deploying first-person view drones from the back of the helicopters, with hopes larger unmanned autonomous drones could be transported in the dual-rotor helicopters.

Some 34 battlefield reconnaissance Wildcat helicopters will also be retired from 2027 - leaving just 28.

Mr Pollard said: "The Wildcat in particular, we're looking there about pivoting to autonomy, so when we say that we are having a transformation, pivoting from older platforms to newer platforms, that’s the illustration of what we meant."

The Defence Investment Plan sets out almost £11billion in cuts to the MoD - but the increase in spending power is not conditional on those savings.

The MoD is set to reduce the Armed Forces' workforce, cut back spending on consultancy and expand the use of technology and automation.

Some £3.3billion comes from workforce changes, including cutting Civil Service workforce costs by at least 10 per cent by 2030, moving regular personnel from admin to frontline roles and automating at least 20 per cent of HR, finance and commercial functions within the next two years.

Another £1.1billion will come from cutting and merging some organisations under the defence umbrella, and a further £3.7billion from changes to the acquisition and supply chains.

The MoD also plans to save £2billion on infrastructure by generating more its own power and optimising use of its land and assets, and another £0.2billion from using AI and automation.

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