The 15-year deal to train 60,000 British soldiers annually signals a broader shift toward AI-powered defense systems, with implications for the growing intersection of military tech and emerging technology markets.
The UK Ministry of Defence just handed Raytheon UK and its consortium partners a £2 billion contract to overhaul how the British Army trains its soldiers. The deal spans 15 years and will lean heavily on artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, and simulation technology to prepare roughly 60,000 troops per year for modern warfare.
The contract, known as the Army Collective Training System (ACTS), was awarded to Raytheon UK’s Omnia Training division around July 10, 2026. The consortium behind it includes Raytheon UK as lead, with Capita, Cervus, Rheinmetall UK, and Skyral rounding out the core group. Behind them sits a supply chain of 44 additional companies.
The initiative is expected to sustain around 400 jobs across the UK, with 270 of those classified as highly skilled positions.
The selection process itself had some drama. Elbit Systems UK led a competing consortium that was also in the running. Elbit ultimately didn’t secure the contract, with prior controversies related to human rights issues reportedly factoring into that outcome.
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