The Statement of Intent (SOI), signed at the DSEi conference yesterday, commits both governments to further develop their Combat Air capability relationship.

The agreement covers existing platforms such as Typhoon and F-35, as well as Tempest, the programme initiated by the UK to develop a next generation combat air system.

The Statement of Intent outlined a number of commitments from both countries:

• Closer Government alignment on future Eurofighter Typhoon enhancements;
• Deepening discussions on Tempest military requirements;
• Developing a combat air roadmap, identifying opportunities to integrate advanced technologies from Eurofighter Typhoon into Tempest;
• Developing an innovative, agile and co-operative industrial framework to deliver Tempest;
• Launching pilot studies to demonstrate new, collaborative ways of working;

The agreement was the result of the joint Government feasibility study, which was launched following publication of the UK’s Combat Air Strategy at the Farnborough Airshow in July 2018.

The study concluded that the UK and Italy are natural Combat Air partners, with both Air Forces (the Royal Air Force and the Aeronautica Militare) operating the same, potent fleet of Eurofighter Typhoon and F-35.

Informed by these systems, both Air Forces have a strong overlap in views on the characteristics necessary for the next generation of combat aircraft. Both Air Forces also share a close alignment on doctrine, training, and operational experience.

The UK and Italy have a proven 50-year track record of working closely together on Combat Aircraft development and support through the Panavia Tornado and Eurofighter Typhoon programmes.

Both Governments confirmed a common desire for a strong industrial base to develop key capabilities and boost prosperity in both nations. The agreement also paves the way for closer industrial collaboration, including through shared industrial entities such as Leonardo and MBDA.

Last month, the UK and Swedish governments a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding on future combat air, committing the parties to work on a joint combat air development and acquisition programme.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) will support some of the UK’s most innovative automotive businesses to exhibit for the first time at the Frankfurt Motor Show, taking place from the 10 to 15 September.

In the ‘New Mobility World’ hall, UK companies will showcase new emission-free and sustainable technologies, ranging from Oxbotica’s parking software and the electric Swifty Scooter, to the London EV Company Limited’s iconic, electric black cabs.

With more than £2bn invested by the UK Government in the automotive industry, the UK offers the ideal place to develop and manufacture future generations of electrified, low-carbon, lightweight and connected vehicles.

Other UK companies attending the show include, AMPLYFI, AVID Technology, AppyParking, EXEROS Technologies, Global Design Solutions (GDS), Gordon Murray Design, McLaren Applied Technologies and Reflexal.

Graham Stuart, Minister for Investment at the Department for International Trade said:

We’re proud of the UK’s cutting edge automotive supply chain and its contribution to more sustainable transport, not only in Europe, but across the world.

We are already home to Nissan’s volume battery factory for electric vehicles in Sunderland – the first in Europe, and Toyota’s European centre for the production of Hybrid Powertrains, while the Jaguar I-Pace was the first electric car designed in Europe.

We believe collaboration and partnership are essential to meeting our common transport challenges and are delighted to bring UK and German expertise together.

We continue to work with partners around the world as the industry embarks on the transition to a zero-emission, connected and autonomous future.

DIT will be hosting a reception with up to 120 senior automotive executives from around the world.

The UK boasts an advanced market for automotive manufacture and is one of the leading locations for the testing of self-driving cars. It was also the first to create a legal framework for the use of autonomous cars on all UK roads and to issue regulations for the insurance of these vehicles. The UK is also home to the world’s largest motorsport cluster – representing 6 of the 10 Formula One teams.

The UK and Germany are long-standing trade and investment partners with bilateral trade accounting for more than £130bn in 2018. The UK remains the number one investment destination in Europe and of the total £573bn invested in the UK by the EU, Germany accounts for £63bn. In turn, the UK has invested FDI stock of £23bn in Germany. Together UK and German companies employ over 1m people across both countries.

What we do

Here at BPDTS we provide digital technology services to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Our digital, data and technology specialists work closely with experts across DWP Digital to help transform services used by millions of people each and every day.

Making a difference

As public servants, the services we help deliver make a difference to people at critical times in their lives – as they look for work, deal with illness or disability, support children after separation, or plan for retirement. Operating on a large scale, our people use their expertise, diversity and passion to create effortless, secure and intuitive digital services.

New ways of working

In return, we offer our people the chance to think big, try new ways of working and use their expertise to deliver change on a massive scale. The way we work is as vital as what we do. We aim to be an organisation with a distinctive culture and feel – making the most of the public service culture we share with the civil service and blending it with the flexibility and opportunities we have as a new and evolving company.

Culture and values

At BPDTS, we recognise that organisational culture is vital for the success of our company, our customers and our people. We’re involving all our colleagues in the process to shape our culture, with a focus on key themes including customer value, leadership, community, organisational identity, development and career progression. Everything we do is underpinned by our POISE values (Pride, Opportunity, Inclusivity, Simplicity and Expertise).

We want to continue to thrive and adapt to change over the coming years and ensure we have highly-motivated colleagues as well as attracting the best people to join us in the future.

Sharing #LifeatBPDTS

We’ve come a long way since we began in 2016 and we’ve grown rapidly over the last 12 months. We’re rightly proud of what we’ve achieved and we want to tell our story. Over the next few months BPDTS colleagues will share updates on how we’re building a culture of innovation, learning, empowerment and purpose and what it’s like to work here.

We’ll focus on how we’re working together to:

• shape our culture

• work smarter to deliver the best outcomes

• champion diversity and inclusion

• develop all our people as leaders

• put colleagues’ health and wellbeing at the forefront of all we do

• make a difference to charities near our digital hubs through volunteering

We’ll be posting here on GOV.UK and also sharing via social media using #LifeatBPDTS. Follow us on Twitter @BPDTS_Ltd and LinkedIn.