Last week CoMech’s head of sales, George Bell, visited Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre for this year’s Defence Procurement, Research, Technology & Exportability (DPRTE) 2025 event. It’s the UK’s premier defence procurement and supply chain gathering, so what did we learn and where does calibration fit into the UK’s defence sector?
This event serves as a great platform for fostering collaboration, innovation, and knowledge exchange within the defence sector making it the best place to see what’s required from suppliers for future requirements.
DPRTE 2025 was outstanding for connecting buyers and suppliers across the defence procurement and supply chain community. Events like this always enable stakeholders to learn about the latest developments that are shaping the future of defence procurement. With over 3,000 attendees from across the defence sector, DPRTE 2025 offered excellent opportunities for George to complete high quality networking. In fact, George spoke to a number of people working within organisations from the sector, some of which we already supply UKAS calibration services to. George said “It was interesting to hear from key players from the defence that creating solutions for the new world in which we find ourselves needs the utilisation of the full breadth of the UK defence industry including a greater usage of SME’s. It doesn’t matter where the solution comes from, as long as fulfils the requirements.”
What’s the status of the defence sector?
It’s widely known that the UK’s defence sector is currently experiencing significant transformations, marked by increased investment, technological advancements, and evolving challenges. What did we learn as suppliers into the sector?
Increased defence spending
The UK government has committed to a substantial increase in defence expenditure, aiming to raise spending to 2.5% of GDP by April 2027. This initiative reflects a strategic response to global security concerns and underscores the nation’s dedication to bolstering its defence capabilities.
Technological innovations
The speakers at DPRTE identified that a significant portion of the increased budget is allocated to emerging technologies. For instance, the UK plans to deploy the DragonFire laser weapon system on four Royal Navy destroyers by 2027. This high-energy laser system offers a cost-effective means to counter aerial threats, including drones.
Workforce challenges
Despite these advancements, the sector faces challenges, particularly concerning workforce development. There is a notable shortage of professionals with expertise in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This shortage poses a risk to sustaining growth and innovation within the defence industry. Many of the organisations there who had speakers confirmed this as a big challenge with the increased defence spending plans where extra skills and resources are going to be needed to achieve the UK’s government targets.
Supply chain considerations
The potential closure of key facilities, such as the Scunthorpe steel plant, raises concerns about the domestic production of essential materials. Speakers at DPRTE made it clear that we needed to address issues like this that could impact the UK’s ability to meet its defence manufacturing needs internally.
Strategic initiatives
To address these challenges and capitalise on opportunities, we heard that the government has established a new defence growth board. This board aims to oversee sector enhancements, streamline procurement processes, and support smaller businesses, fostering a more robust and responsive defence industry.
What calibration is required in the defence industry?
In the UK defence sector, precision and reliability are critical, making UKAS calibration essential for ensuring equipment meets stringent operational and safety standards. Various tools and instruments require regular calibration to maintain accuracy and compliance with industry regulations.
Key UKAS calibration services that CoMech supplies to the defence sector include:
- Dimensional measurement tools including micrometres, vernier callipers, height gauges, and coordinate measuring machines (CMMs).
- Electrical testing equipment such as multimeters, oscilloscopes, insulation testers, and power analysers.
- Torque and force measurement tools like torque wrenches, load cells, force gauges, and tension meters.
- Pressure and temperature instruments such as pressure gauges, barometers and digital thermometers
- Aerospace and Military tools such as avionics testing instruments, and precision alignment devices.
- Welding and Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) equipment covering ultrasonic flaw detectors, radiographic inspection tools, and hardness testers.
Ensuring the calibration of these tools supports mission readiness, safety, and compliance with MOD and NATO requirements. CoMech Metrology offers expert UKAS accredited calibration services to help defence organisations, both those operational and those supporting the industry as strategic suppliers, to maintain the highest standards of accuracy and reliability.
As CoMech reflects on DPRTE 2025, we recognise the importance of aligning our services with these evolving trends and challenges. George rounds off his time at the event with the following “It was great to be at this very busy conference which had a great buzz around the conference with a wide variety of attendees. It was good to hear the supply chain seminars on the new initiatives to partner with a greater number of SME’s within the sector and how this will work in practise.”
Our expertise in precision measurement and UKAS calibration positions us to further support the defence sector’s pursuit of technological excellence and operational readiness. We look forward to collaborating with industry partners to navigate this dynamic landscape effectively.
