What Defence Equipment & Support does

Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) is a Trading Fund of the UK Ministry of Defence, headquartered at MOD Abbey Wood in Bristol, and the sole UK government organisation responsible for procuring and supporting defence equipment for the UK Armed Forces. It employs approximately 12,500 civil servants and military personnel across more than 150 UK and overseas locations and operates across nine professional disciplines. Its customer base is entirely governmental — the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, and Royal Fleet Auxiliary — and its funding flows from the UK defence budget.

DE&S delivers a programme of work exceeding £13bn annually, within a total managed defence portfolio of £178bn. Its product surface spans the air domain (F-35B Lightning II, Typhoon, A400M Atlas, A330 Voyager, Apache, Chinook, Merlin, Protector RPAS, Poseidon P8A, E-7 Wedgetail), the land domain (Boxer, Challenger 3, Ajax, Sky Sabre, Wildcat), and the sea domain (Queen Elizabeth-class carriers, Type 26 and Type 31 frigates, Type 45 destroyers, Fleet Solid Support ships, autonomous mine-hunting systems). It also delivers through-life support services, exemplified by the Integrated Merlin Operational Support (IMOS) contract and the upcoming NSIGN framework.

Commercially, DE&S operates a managed-services revenue model funded by MoD budget allocation rather than market pricing. It contracts with global defence primes (Thales, Leonardo Helicopters, Atlas Elektronik UK, Team Resolute / Harland & Wolff / BMT / Navantia UK, Lockheed Martin, SERCO) and international bodies (OCCAR) to deliver capability. Strategic priorities include supporting UK economic growth, driving exports, sustainability, and creating social value through defence procurement. DE&S is part of the National Armaments Director (NAD) Group, which consolidates MOD's science, technology, procurement, infrastructure, and support functions.

Name

Defence Equipment & Support

Legal name

Defence Equipment & Support

Website

https://des.mod.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) is the UK Ministry of Defence's Trading Fund, responsible for procuring and supporting defence equipment for the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, and Royal Fleet Auxiliary. It employs 12,500 personnel and manages a £13bn+ annual programme spanning air, land, and sea domains.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defence Procurement and Support Services

NAICS

National Security (928110), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414)

SIC

Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Ordnance & Accessories, (No Vehicles/Guided Missiles) (3480)

akta.pro primary industry

Defense R&D, Test, Evaluation & Innovation (BPAIAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Autonomous Defense Systems (AI/ML, Swarming, MUM-T) (IMABAOAI), Military ISR, EW & SIGINT Payloads (Airborne) (IMABAMAF), UAS Ground Control Stations (GCS) & Remote Operations Infrastructure (IMABAIAL)

Keywords

• Defence procurement services
• Military equipment support
• Through-life support
• Defence platform acquisition
• Armed forces logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. UK Ministry of Defence Defence Procurement Funding: DE&S is a UK Government Trading Fund operating under the Ministry of Defence. It receives funding through the MOD's defence budget to procure and support equipment for the UK Armed Forces. Annual programme delivery exceeds £13bn.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) is a UK Ministry of Defence Trading Fund that procures, delivers, and provides through-life support for defence equipment used by the UK Armed Forces across land, sea, and air domains. It manages a £178 billion defence programme delivering over £13bn of work annually, covering equipment platforms (fighter aircraft, helicopters, naval vessels, armoured vehicles), integrated logistics support, and partnerships with defence industry primes. DE&S operates from headquarters in Bristol with 12,500 civil servants and military personnel across 150+ UK and overseas locations.

Product overview

Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) is a procurement and through-life support organisation for the UK Armed Forces, not a single product company. DE&S procures and supports a diverse portfolio of defence platforms across air, land, and sea domains. In the air domain, DE&S manages fighter aircraft (F-35B Lightning, Typhoon), transport aircraft (A400M Atlas, A330 Voyager), helicopters (Apache, Chinook, Merlin, Wildcat, Protector remotely piloted aircraft), and surveillance aircraft (Poseidon P8A, E7 Wedgetail). On land, DE&S procures armored vehicles (Boxer, Challenger 3, Ajax), artillery systems (Sky Sabre), and related equipment. At sea, DE&S supports the Queen Elizabeth-class carriers, Type 26 and Type 31 frigates, Type 45 destroyers, Fleet Solid Support ships, autonomous mine-hunting systems, and the Merlin helicopter fleet. All platforms are supported through Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) services ensuring operational readiness throughout the equipment lifecycle.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• F-35B Lightning II Fifth-generation stealth multirole fighter aircraft providing combat capability for the UK Armed Forces, operating from Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.
• Typhoon Multirole fighter aircraft providing air superiority and ground attack capabilities for the Royal Air Force.
• Atlas A400M Military transport aircraft providing strategic and tactical airlift capabilities for the UK Armed Forces.
• A330 Voyager Aerial refuelling and transport aircraft providing air-to-air refuelling capability for the Royal Air Force.
• E-7 Wedgetail Airborne early warning and control aircraft providing surveillance and command and control capabilities.
• Poseidon P-8A Maritime patrol aircraft providing anti-submarine warfare and maritime surveillance capabilities.
• Apache AH64E Attack helicopter providing the British Army with armed reconnaissance, close combat, and fire support capabilities.
• Chinook Heavy-lift helicopter operated by RAF, providing tactical transport, search and rescue, and support operations.
• Protector Remotely Piloted Air System First fully-certified remotely-piloted air system capable of flying in civilian airspace, providing ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance) missions for up to 40 hours worldwide.
• Wildcat Mk1/Mk2 Light reconnaissance helicopter operated by the Army Air Corps, providing reconnaissance and light transport capabilities.
• Merlin Mk2/Mk4 Helicopter Merlin Mk2 for anti-submarine warfare and Merlin Mk4/4a for commando amphibious operations, operated by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines with through-life support via the Integrated Merlin Operational Support (IMOS) framework.
• Boxer Mechanised Infantry Vehicle
• Challenger 3
• Ajax
• Sky Sabre
• Queen Elizabeth-class Aircraft Carriers
• Type 26 Frigate
• Type 45 Destroyer
• Type 31 Frigate
• Autonomous Mine-Hunting Systems Uncrewed surface vessels with sophisticated sonar and neutralisation payloads that detect and defeat underwater sea mines; includes the FR/UK MMCM system (Thales), WILTON, SWEEP Combined Influence Minesweeping system, and SEACAT Medium Underwater Autonomous Vehicle, operated from remote command centres.
• Fleet Solid Support Ships Modern solid stores replenishment ships for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, designed to deliver munitions, supplies and provisions to the Royal Navy at sea, with energy-efficient technologies and Carbon Zero adaptable design.
• Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) / Through-Life Support
• Naval Support Integrated Global Network (NSIGN) Programme
• Integrated Merlin Operational Support (IMOS) Through-life, single-source contracting framework providing depth maintenance, spares supply, aircrew and maintainer training, technical support, and proactive obsolescence service for the Royal Navy's 55 Merlin helicopters.

Quantifiable outcome

• £13bn+ annual programme delivery
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Team Resolute (Harland & Wolff, BMT, Navantia UK)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Team Resolute — a consortium of Harland & Wolff, BMT and Navantia UK — was awarded a £1.6 billion contract in January 2023 to deliver three Fleet Solid Support ships to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Harland & Wolff builds blocks and modules in Belfast and Appledore; Navantia builds in Cadiz, Spain. The programme creates 1,200 shipyard jobs at Harland & Wolff, 800 in the UK supply chain, 180 at BMT/Navantia UK, and invests £77m in shipbuilding infrastructure. Harland & Wolff's welding academy will produce 300 new UK welders.
• ThalescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Thales is the prime contractor for the FR/UK Maritime Mine Counter Measures (MMCM) programme, delivering uncrewed surface vessels, mine hunting payloads and remote command centres to the Royal Navy and Marine nationale. A £184 million UK investment in 2020 supported 200 UK jobs through Thales and the wider supply chain.
• Leonardo HelicopterscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Leonardo Helicopters is the prime contractor for Integrated Merlin Operational Support (IMOS), currently in its fourth Pricing Period (PP4) worth up to £699M from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2025. IMOS sustains in excess of 1,000 jobs at Leonardo's Yeovil facility, RNAS Yeovilton and Culdrose, and the wider supply chain. Sub-contractors include Lockheed Martin, Leonardo Electronics Division, and SERCO.
• Atlas Elektronik UKcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Atlas Elektronik UK delivers the WILTON system, SWEEP Combined Influence Minesweeping system (contracted in 2014 for £13m, creating 15 new jobs; extended in 2020 with £25m for three SWEEP systems), and SEACAT Medium Underwater Autonomous Vehicle (£32m contract in 2022 for three MAUV systems, creating 50 UK jobs and 23 jobs in Europe).
• Lockheed Martin (Merlin IMOS sub-contractor)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLockheed Martin is a key sub-contractor under the Leonardo Helicopters-led IMOS framework for Merlin helicopter support.
• Leonardo Electronics Division (Merlin IMOS sub-contractor)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeonardo Electronics Division is a key sub-contractor under the Leonardo Helicopters-led IMOS framework for Merlin helicopter support.
• SERCO (Merlin IMOS sub-contractor)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSERCO is a key sub-contractor under the Leonardo Helicopters-led IMOS framework for Merlin helicopter support.
• National Armaments Director Group (NAD Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDE&S is proud to be part of the National Armaments Director Group (NAD Group), which brings together key MOD organisations to unite expertise across science, technology, procurement, infrastructure, and support to provide integrated capabilities faster and more efficiently for UK Armed Forces and allies.
• OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCCAR acts as the Contracting Management Authority for the UK/France MMCM programme, managing the joint production contract on behalf of both nations.
• National Autistic SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDE&S partnered with the National Autistic Society to develop and pilot its Autistic Hiring Programme, removing barriers neurodivergent candidates might face during the recruitment process through tailored assessments, direct communication style, and office tours.
• Women's Engineering SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDE&S is a partner of the Women's Engineering Society, supporting and promoting women in engineering careers within the organisation.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Direction générale de l'armement (DGA): France's equivalent defence procurement and through-life support agency under the Ministry of Armed Forces. DGA procures and supports land, sea, and air equipment for the French Armed Forces and is DE&S' closest international counterpart, including as joint partner on the MMCM programme through OCCAR.
• Defense Logistics Agency (DLA): US Department of Defense combat logistics and supply chain agency managing global procurement, distribution, and sustainment. DLA is the closest US analog to DE&S' through-life support and equipment provision mandate, though DE&S also covers procurement where DLA focuses on logistics.
• Spanish Dirección General de Armamento y Material (DGAM): Spain's directorate general for armament and materiel within the Ministry of Defence. DGAM plans, programmes, and acquires defence equipment for the Spanish Armed Forces — a direct European government peer to DE&S' procurement and support mandate.
• Bundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr (BAAINBw): Germany's federal defence procurement and support office, responsible for equipping and sustaining Bundeswehr land, sea, and air platforms. BAAINBw performs the same sovereign procurement-and-support mandate as DE&S within a NATO European peer nation.
• OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation): European intergovernmental agency managing collaborative defence procurement programmes on behalf of participating nations (UK, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium). Already a DE&S partner (contracting authority on MMCM), OCCAR executes pooled procurement that mirrors DE&S' programme management role for joint UK programmes.
• NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA): NATO's integrated procurement, logistics, and sustainment organisation providing multinational support to alliance members. NSPA performs cross-border defence procurement and through-life support functions that overlap with DE&S' sovereign UK mandate, particularly for shared platforms and multinational programmes.
• Italian Segretariato Generale della Difesa / DDR: Italy's defence procurement and support directorate under the Ministry of Defence. Performs sovereign procurement and through-life support of land, sea, and air equipment for the Italian Armed Forces, making it a Southern European counterpart to DE&S.

Broad incumbents

• BAE Systems: UK-headquartered global defence prime contractor serving as the principal industrial supplier to DE&S across naval, land, and air programmes. While BAE is a contractor rather than a peer in procurement function, it is the most comparable UK defence organisation by scale, through-life support capability, and platform portfolio.

Regional players

• Canadian Department of National Defence Procurement: Canada's federal defence procurement function under Public Services and Procurement Canada and the Department of National Defence. Performs the same sovereign procurement and in-service support role for the Canadian Armed Forces as DE&S does for UK Armed Forces.
• Australian Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG): Australian Defence Organisation's procurement and through-life support division under the Department of Defence. CASG is a Five Eyes ally peer, performing equivalent land/sea/air platform acquisition and sustainment for the Australian Defence Force.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/defencees

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Defence Equipment & Support