The number of forces and means of the British army has been disclosed

19 November, 2023 British Army FV4034 Challenger 2 tanks and AH-64 Apache helicopters. Photo from open sources The annual report on the armaments and formations of the UK Armed Forces as of March 1, 2023, has been published.

UKdefencejournal reported on this. The report offers a comprehensive overview of the land, sea, and air capabilities of the UK Armed Forces. The report, complemented by data from the Department for Transport (DfT) on militarily useful British-registered vessels, offers detailed insights into the current state and changes in the UK's defense assets.

Navy

Illustrative photo of a British Navy aircraft carrier group.

Photo from open sources

The maritime section highlights the UK's naval strength, reporting a total of 10 submarines and 72 vessels. This includes 59 vessels in the Royal Navy Surface Fleet and 13 in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. A slight decrease in Royal Navy vessels, from 62 in 2022 to 59 in 2023, is attributed to the retirement of two Mine Countermeasures Vessels and one Survey ship.

This regards the Sandown-class minesweepers HMS Blyth and HMS Pembroke, which Romania purchased in September this year. The Royal Fleet Auxiliary witnessed an increase in its fleet size due to the addition of a Mine Hunting Capability vessel and a Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance vessel.

Land forces

Illustrative photo of British infantrymen. Photo from open sources

The land component of the UK armed forces shows a mix of strength and ongoing updates.

With 3,207 pieces of combat equipment, the army's arsenal comprises 845 Armored Personnel Carriers, 1,480 Protected Mobility Vehicles, and 882 Armored Fighting Vehicles. However, these numbers are provisional, pending an ongoing process to enhance data quality. The infantry strength stands at 32 Regular Army Battalions and 16 Army Reserves Battalions.

Air Force

Typhoon fighter jets of the British Air Force.

Photo from open sources

In the air domain, the UK Armed Forces boast 564 Fixed-wing aircraft and 265 Rotary-wing aircraft, along with 55 Unmanned Aircraft Systems. The report highlights the Typhoon as the most common Fixed-wing platform, with 137 aircraft, and the Chinook as the leading Rotary-wing platform, with 59 aircraft. The Royal Air Force has expanded its squadrons to 103, while the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm consists of 16 squadrons and four Headquarters.

Development trends

Significant trends include the planned retirement of certain equipment, such as the Scimitar, to be replaced by Ajax, and the transfer of platforms to Ukraine.

There's also a notable reduction in the number of militarily useful British registered vessels, dropping from 532 in 2021 to 495 in 2022.

This report paints a picture of a modernizing and adapting UK armed forces, balancing between retiring older equipment and introducing advanced platforms across all domains.