UK DIP 2026: Additional GBP1.8 billion allocated for digital targeting web

Hundreds of British Army soldiers took part in Exercise Arrcade Strike in May 2026 where the digital targeting web was used as part of Project Asgard. (UK MoD/Crown copyright )

An additional GDP1.8 billion (USD2.38 billion) has been allocated for the digital targeting web in the UK Defence Investment Plan (DIP) unveiled by the British government on 30 June 2026.

The nearly GDP2 billion investment will be used to integrate the digital targeting web for faster decision-making and speed up the battlefield kill chain. According to the DIP, the digital targeting web will be underpinned by “world leading AI and software”.

Some GBP5.5 billion is expected to be invested in the digital backbone, according to the DIP. The digital targeting web is supported by the digital backbone.

Out to financial year (FY)2029/30, funding for the digital targeting web includes GBP420 million of investment in the digital backbone. “We will replace fragmented services and networks, with an enterprise platform that accelerates decision-making, enables integration across domains, and supports operational advantage in a data-driven battlespace,” said the DIP. GBP740 million will be spent on connecting sensors, deciders, and effectors. This includes targeting, imagery exploitation, geospatial analysis, a defence-wide secret cloud, and PNT (position, navigation, and timing).

Between 2030 and 2035, at least GBP17 billion (USD22.5 billion) will be invested in the digital backbone and targeting web to match the outline set out in the 2025 Strategic Defence Review (SDR). The first evolution of the digital targeting web was tested in Norway with the UK Commando Force and an “incremental uplift” will be delivered by the end of 2026, Air Vice-Marshal Simon Strasdin, Director, Integrated Warfare Centre (IWC), Cyber and Specialist Operations Command told Janes in March 2026.