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.

Donald Trump has named new F-47 fighter after himself

The storied history of US air combat platforms runs the gamut of modern aviation, from the F-14 Tomcat to the…
Service vs sovereign: UK defence space assesses options

As the role of space-based military capabilities becomes critical, the UK’s military services with a stake in the sector are…
Missile developments in the AI era

Technology companies integrating AI-enhanced back-end military functions with defence companies’ missiles will be the first step in a new partnership…
GCAP production expected for 350 fighters: how many will the UK get?

The tri-national Global Combat Air Platform (GCAP) programme, intended to deliver a next-generation fighter to the air forces of the…
UK debated providing Typhoon fighters to Ukraine “multiple times”

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) assessed the merits of providing Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 1 air superiority fighters to Ukraine…

UK defence funding rise “opportunity to invest” in country’s industry

Central the UK’s investment into defence is the demand to generate economic opportunity for the country’s industry, from large defence…
Definition changes and projections: the truth of the UK’s defence plan

The UK has finally set a timetable to increasing its spending on defence from 2.3% of GDP to 2.5% by…
German election: defence outlook of a CDU-led government

The victory of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the country’s general election will have a considerable impact on defence…
Creation of “FTSE 100 company” within UK MoD central to defence reform

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) will effectively house a new “FTSE 100 company” headed by a new National Armaments…
Bottom 5 defence spenders in Nato: Trump’s targets

The demand placed on European Nato members by the new US administration to spend 5% of their GDP on defence…