The Ministry of Defence published “UK Armed Forces Equipment and Formations 2026” on 20 August. Its figures reflect holdings around the end of March and beginning of April.
The report measures inventory rather than operational availability and does not state how many ships are serviceable. It also omits several categories, including logistics vehicles and lighter weapons.
The land data show a fleet in transition, with Ajax, Boxer and Jackal 3 numbers increasing. Warrior, Bulldog and Wolfhound holdings are declining as vehicles leave service, including through transfers to Ukraine.
The armoured combat vehicle total stands at 996. It comprises 185 Ajax vehicles, 285 Challenger 2 tanks and 526 FV510 Warrior infantry fighting vehicles.
Britain also holds 1,009 armoured personnel carriers, including 28 Boxers and 723 Bulldogs. The remaining fleet consists of 185 Bv206 vehicles and 73 Vikings.
A separate category contains 2,028 other armoured vehicles. Jackals account for 651, followed by 389 Foxhounds, 377 Panthers, 296 Mastiffs, 162 Ridgebacks, 81 Wolfhounds and 72 Coyotes.
The artillery inventory includes 14 Archer 155 mm self-propelled howitzers, 126 L118 105 mm light guns and 26 M270-family multiple-launch rocket systems. The AS90 has been withdrawn, while the planned RCH 155 has yet to enter the inventory.
The Ministry of Defence also counts 53 Stormer air-defence vehicles as artillery. Their inclusion raises the category to 219 systems, compared with 166 without them.
The land domain contains 295 specialist support vehicles and systems. These include Fuchs CBRN reconnaissance vehicles, GSB and M3 crossing systems, Titan assault bridges and Trojan and Terrier engineering vehicles.
The maritime inventory comprises 73 vessels, including 12 operated by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. The submarine force includes four Vanguard-class ballistic-missile boats and five Astute-class attack submarines.
Major surface combatants comprise two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, six Daring-class destroyers and seven Type 23 frigates. The wider fleet includes seven mine countermeasure vessels, 26 patrol vessels and several survey, support and specialist ships.
The crewed fixed-wing inventory totals 507 aircraft, led by 124 Typhoons and 47 F-35Bs. Strategic transport holdings include eight C-17 Globemaster IIIs and 22 A400M Atlas aircraft.
Other fleets include 14 Voyagers, nine Poseidons, three Airseekers and eight Shadow R1 aircraft. The report separately lists 249 rotary-wing aircraft and includes gliders within the fixed-wing total.
Britain also holds 189 unmanned aircraft systems weighing more than 25 kilograms. The inventory comprises 75 Puma AEs, 15 Puma LEs, 44 Watchkeepers, 39 Wasps and 16 Protectors.
