AI military industry secures multibillion‑dollar contracts across UK, NATO and US

The defence sector is shifting from traditional hardware to software, with billions of dollars flowing into a small group of firms that provide artificial‑intelligence tools for warfare. On 10 July the UK Ministry of Defence signed a £2 billion, 15‑year contract with Omnia Training – a consortium led by Raytheon UK – to train 60,000 soldiers a year on AI‑enabled combat systems. Days earlier NATO awarded contracts to the US company Anduril for its Lattice AI platform, alongside US firm Palantir and the French joint‑venture Athea SAS, to run the alliance’s Enhanced Air Command and Control Data Platform. The US Pentagon has also signed deals with eight leading tech companies to embed AI across classified networks, part of a broader “AI‑first” military strategy. Global military spending is projected to reach $2.88 trillion in 2025, with ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East accelerating demand for AI‑driven capabilities.