Future Air Dominance System

Military Capability

Record date: 31 March 2026

Whole-life cost: Not disclosed
Published schedule: 03/01/2022 – 03/08/2045
NISTA delivery confidence: RED
Senior responsible owner: Richard Harris

What the project is for

Future Air Dominance System (FADS) is the Royal Navy’s contribution to Integrated Air and Missile Defence and long-range precision strike, supporting the UK’s Integrated Force across all theatres, including Homeland Defence. Operating within its approved Concept Phase, FADS is being developed as a system-of-systems that integrates sensing, decision-making, and effect capability delivery across a mixed crewed and uncrewed force. Following the Strategic Defence Review, the programme has aligned to the Hybrid Navy vision, prioritising affordability, autonomy and early operational relevance. This includes advancing next-generation radar sensing, force-level command and control, and new approaches to uncrewed and distributed capability, supported by open digital architectures and close collaboration with industry and international partners.

Departmental delivery commentary

The Project's Delivery Confidence Assessment rating at 25/26-Q4 is Red. This is primarily due to the following factors. 1. Over the past year, the programme has evolved to align with updated strategic direction, including the Hybrid Navy concept, and has adjusted its approach to emphasise affordability, adaptability and early operational relevance. This transition has required a refresh of assumptions and a focus on building the evidence needed to inform future decisions. 2. At the same time, the programme continues to operate within its approved Concept Phase funding, with future scope and phasing dependent on wider Defence Investment Plan outcomes. As a result, the programme is prioritising experimentation, de-risking and collaboration with industry and partners to mature options ahead of future approvals. 3. Delivery Confidence therefore reflects the programme’s current emphasis on evidence generation and strategic alignment, rather than long term delivery.

Schedule

The programme's end-date at 25/26-Q4 remains undetermined. This is primarily due to the following factors. 1. Over the past year, the FADS programme schedule has remained deliberately flexible as the programme continues to operate within its approved Concept Phase. During this period, activity has been focused on shaping future options, testing assumptions, and preparing the programme to respond to forthcoming strategic and investment decisions, rather than progressing against a fixed delivery endpoint. 2. As future scope and phasing will be determined through wider Defence planning processes, a definitive programme end date has not yet been established. In the interim, the schedule reflects an approach that prioritises readiness for decision making, including option development, engagement with partners, and the maturation of enabling activities required to support future approvals. 3. The current schedule position therefore reflects the programme’s role in informing next steps, rather than a change to an agreed end state timeline.

Cost

Exempt under Section 43 - Commercial interests

Benefits

The project's departmentally agreed Benefits at 25/26-Q4 (measured in £m) remained at 0. This is primarily due to the following factors. No monetised benefits.