UK defence supply chain data
US Department of Defense contracts held in the UK: 461 suppliers, every region, FY2022 to FY2026
USAspending.gov is the US Treasury’s public record of federal awards. Filtered for contracts the Department of Defense placed with recipients registered in the United Kingdom, it holds 461 recipients and $4.44 billion of obligations across US fiscal years 2022 to 2026, with 775 recipients over the ten years to FY2026. This page counts them by year, region, industry, buyer and size, names none of them, and links the record that does.
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Source: USAspending.gov (US Department of the Treasury), contract transactions and recipient sums pulled 23 October 2026. Figures derived 23 October 2026.
Pulled 23 October 2026
Four figures from the record
461
recipients registered in the United Kingdom were obligated money on Department of Defense contracts between 1 October 2021 and 23 July 2026, the latest action published: $4.44 billion across 44,058 contract actions, in 257 towns and cities.
56%
of them, 260 recipients, had at least one action coded to a manufacturing industry. Manufacturing took 75% of the money, of which about a third, $1.17 billion, was refined fuel from 12 recipients. The largest industry by number of recipients was other aircraft parts and auxiliary equipment manufacturing, with 47.
-22%
is the change in the number of UK recipients in a year across the complete fiscal years, from 310 in FY2017 to 241 in FY2025. The money obligated in a year went from $905 million to $820 million in nominal dollars, on a series that swung between $458 million and $994 million. FY2026 is published only to 23 July 2026; the caveats say why.
71%
of the money went to ten recipients, and 88% to twenty-five. Of the 404 recipients whose five years net to more than zero, the median was obligated $241,341, on a median of four contract actions, and 139 were obligated under $100,000.
Ten fiscal years
Recipients and obligations by year, FY2017 to FY2026
A US fiscal year runs from 1 October to 30 September, so FY2026 is 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026. Each row counts the recipients obligated money in that year and the money obligated, including de-obligations. The FY2026 row holds the record as published to 23 July 2026; August and September are not in it yet.
UK-located recipients of Department of Defense contract obligations and the sum obligated, by US fiscal year, FY2017 to FY2026. Source: USAspending.gov (US Department of the Treasury), pulled 23 October 2026.
| Fiscal year | Recipients | Obligated |
|---|---|---|
| FY2017 | 310 | $905 million |
| FY2018 | 298 | $458 million |
| FY2019 | 308 | $802 million |
| FY2020 | 294 | $577 million |
| FY2021 | 284 | $596 million |
| FY2022 | 269 | $987 million |
| FY2023 | 262 | $679 million |
| FY2024 | 250 | $964 million |
| FY2025 | 241 | $820 million |
| FY2026 | 207 | $994 million |
Across the complete years, the number of UK recipients in a year fell from 310 in FY2017 to 241 in FY2025, 22% fewer, with FY2017 the high and FY2026 the low so far. The money obligated in a year is a different shape: $905 million in FY2017, $820 million in FY2025, in nominal dollars, with a low of $458 million in FY2018 and a high of $994 million in FY2026. FY2026 stands at 207 recipients and $994 million with two months of its record still to be published.
Across the five years FY2022 to FY2026, 112 recipients were obligated money in every one of them and 173 in only one. 21 recipients appear in FY2026 for the first time in the ten years. The list is not a club: most recipients come and go, and a small core is there every year.
Where they are registered
The recipients in each region
The 12 rows are the nine statistical regions of England and the three nations. The region is that of the city on each recipient’s registered address, as the caveats describe. Each row has its own address: /uk-suppliers-us-defense-contracts/#north-east is the first.
The region is the registered address, not the factory. A recipient’s registered address is where it is registered, not always where it makes things, and a group’s head office can carry the obligations of plants elsewhere. On counts from 2 recipients in Northern Ireland to 101 in the South East, the medians are rough and the shares of money are moved by single large contracts.
UK-located recipients of Department of Defense contract obligations by region of registered address, FY2022 to FY2026. Source: USAspending.gov (US Department of the Treasury), with regions from Ordnance Survey Open Names.
| Region | Recipients | With a manufacturing code | Obligated | Share of money | Median per recipient | Contract actions | Towns and cities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North East | 7 | 3 | $189.7m | 4.3% | $326k | 82 | 7 |
| North West | 27 | 20 | $817.7m | 18.4% | $168k | 2,983 | 19 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 24 | 16 | $40.9m | 0.9% | $278k | 197 | 14 |
| East Midlands | 23 | 11 | $8.5m | 0.2% | $94k | 182 | 16 |
| West Midlands | 41 | 31 | $122.2m | 2.7% | $618k | 2,176 | 23 |
| East of England | 83 | 39 | $515.4m | 11.6% | $228k | 2,147 | 49 |
| London | 64 | 23 | $1.15bn | 25.9% | $248k | 9,101 | 10 |
| South East | 101 | 56 | $1.06bn | 23.8% | $241k | 16,413 | 63 |
| South West | 60 | 40 | $158.8m | 3.6% | $197k | 3,327 | 35 |
| Scotland | 24 | 16 | $367.3m | 8.3% | $1.4m | 7,399 | 16 |
| Wales | 5 | 4 | $15.9m | 0.4% | $650k | 20 | 3 |
| Northern Ireland | 2 | 1 | $867k | under 0.1% | $433k | 31 | 2 |
248 of the 461 recipients, 54%, are registered in the South East, the East of England or London, and London carries the most money, $1.15 billion. The Midlands, the North and Yorkshire together hold 122 recipients. Among regions with twenty or more recipients, the West Midlands has the highest share with a manufacturing code, 76%.
Obligated is the sum of every action in the window, including de-obligations. Download this table as a CSV file.
What they make and do
Recipients and money by industry
Each contract action carries an industry code, and the table groups the two-digit codes. A recipient is counted in every sector it had an action in, so the first column adds up to more than 461; the money is summed by the code on each action and adds up to $4.44 billion.
UK-located recipients and Department of Defense obligations by industry sector of the contract action, FY2022 to FY2026. Source: USAspending.gov (US Department of the Treasury); sectors are groups of NAICS two-digit codes.
| Sector | Recipients with an action in it | Obligated | Share of money |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 260 | $3.35bn | 75.3% |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 67 | $145.8m | 3.3% |
| Information, including software | 59 | $76.2m | 1.7% |
| Transport, warehousing and port services | 35 | $710.1m | 16.0% |
| Administrative and support services | 34 | $91.6m | 2.1% |
| Repair, maintenance and other services | 43 | $15.9m | 0.4% |
| Wholesale and retail | 26 | $4.1m | 0.1% |
| Construction | 19 | $32.3m | 0.7% |
| Everything else | 51 | $20.8m | 0.5% |
Manufacturing is where the recipients are, 260 of them, and where the money is, 75%. About a third of the manufacturing money, $1.17 billion, is refined fuel, coded to petroleum refining and bought from 12 recipients; the code describes what was bought, not what the recipient is, so a distributor selling bolts is counted under bolt manufacturing. Transport, warehousing and port services is second by money at 16%, which is port, airfield and freight work on a few large contracts rather than many recipients.
The 15 industry codes with the most recipients
The 15 industry codes with the most recipients, with USAspending’s own names for them. Aircraft parts, navigation and detection instruments, fasteners and hardware are the shape of the list: the parts a defence logistics buyer orders in quantity.
The 15 NAICS codes with the most UK-located recipients, FY2022 to FY2026. Source: USAspending.gov (US Department of the Treasury). Where NAICS 2022 renumbered a code, the two codes are counted together and the row says so.
| NAICS code | Industry, as USAspending names it | Recipients | Obligated |
|---|---|---|---|
| 336413 | Other Aircraft Parts And Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing | 47 | $276.0m |
| 513210 | Software Publishers (511210 before NAICS 2022, counted with 513210) | 30 | $15.5m |
| 334511 | Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, And Nautical System And Instrument Manufacturing | 26 | $225.1m |
| 332722 | Bolt, Nut, Screw, Rivet, And Washer Manufacturing | 24 | $1.1m |
| 332510 | Hardware Manufacturing | 22 | $2.1m |
| 333310 | Commercial And Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing | 19 | $1.4m |
| 811310 | Commercial And Industrial Machinery And Equipment (Except Automotive And Electronic) Repair And Maintenance | 18 | $8.8m |
| 541715 | Research And Development In The Physical, Engineering, And Life Sciences (Except Nanotechnology And Biotechnology) | 17 | $23.3m |
| 339991 | Gasket, Packing, And Sealing Device Manufacturing | 16 | $9.6m |
| 334516 | Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing | 16 | $5.7m |
| 334419 | Other Electronic Component Manufacturing | 15 | $12.8m |
| 541519 | Other Computer Related Services | 15 | $1.3m |
| 332999 | All Other Miscellaneous Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 14 | $169.2m |
| 335312 | Motor And Generator Manufacturing | 14 | $5.0m |
| 335999 | All Other Miscellaneous Electrical Equipment And Component Manufacturing | 14 | $980k |
Who buys
The services and agencies buying from UK recipients
The Department of Defense buys through its services and agencies. The table counts the recipients each one placed at least one action with, and the money each one obligated.
Department of Defense sub-agencies placing contract actions with UK-located recipients, FY2022 to FY2026. Source: USAspending.gov (US Department of the Treasury).
| Sub-agency | Recipients | Contract actions | Obligated | Share of money |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of the Air Force | 194 | 2,555 | $370.3m | 8.3% |
| Department of the Navy | 150 | 14,210 | $1.41bn | 31.7% |
| Defense Logistics Agency | 94 | 23,082 | $1.39bn | 31.3% |
| Department of the Army | 69 | 2,940 | $1.20bn | 26.9% |
| Defense Contract Management Agency | 40 | 495 | -$19.2m | -0.4% |
| Defense Health Agency | 15 | 46 | $19.5m | 0.4% |
| Defense Commissary Agency | 13 | 110 | $7.3m | 0.2% |
| Department of Defense Education Activity | 12 | 102 | $28.1m | 0.6% |
| U.S. Special Operations Command | 9 | 79 | $8.2m | 0.2% |
| Defense Information Systems Agency | 5 | 340 | $11.1m | 0.2% |
| Washington Headquarters Services | 4 | 14 | $3.2m | 0.1% |
| Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency | 4 | 11 | -$160k | 0.0% |
| Defense Threat Reduction Agency | 3 | 52 | $15.4m | 0.3% |
| USTRANSCOM | 2 | 14 | $350k | 0.0% |
| Defense Microelectronics Activity | 2 | 5 | $599k | 0.0% |
| Missile Defense Agency | 1 | 3 | $0 | 0.0% |
Department of the Air Force reaches the most UK recipients, 194, on 8% of the money; Department of the Navy obligates the most, 32%. A negative total means the agency de-obligated more than it obligated over the five years. The Defense Contract Management Agency’s 495 actions are all modifications to contracts it administers for the others, not new orders.
How big the contracts are
Recipients by total obligations over the five years
Each recipient’s obligations over the five years, in bands. The 404 recipients with a positive total are banded; the rest netted to zero or below.
UK-located recipients by total Department of Defense obligations over FY2022 to FY2026. Source: USAspending.gov (US Department of the Treasury).
| Total obligated, FY2022 to FY2026 | Recipients | Share of money |
|---|---|---|
| Under $100,000 | 139 | 0.1% |
| $100,000 to $1 million | 140 | 1.1% |
| $1 million to $10 million | 83 | 6.2% |
| $10 million to $100 million | 34 | 25.5% |
| Over $100 million | 8 | 67.2% |
279 of the 404 were obligated under $1 million across the five years, and together they took 1.2% of the money; eight recipients over $100 million took 67%. Most UK prime recipients are small suppliers of parts on delivery orders, not programme contractors.
85% of the 44,058 actions were delivery orders under an existing contract and 2.4% were definitive contracts in their own right. The action count is driven by a few high-volume recipients; the median recipient had four actions in five years.
Where the work is done
Obligations by country of performance
USAspending records a place of performance for each action. 56% of the money is for work performed in the United Kingdom and 25% in the United States; the remaining 18%, $815 million, is in third countries, mostly port, harbour and air transport support ($427 million) and aircraft and transport equipment parts ($86 million).
Department of Defense obligations to UK-located recipients by country of performance, FY2022 to FY2026, the six largest. Source: USAspending.gov (US Department of the Treasury).
| Country of performance | Obligated | Share |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | $2.50bn | 56.2% |
| United States | $1.13bn | 25.4% |
| Gabon | $158.6m | 3.6% |
| Egypt | $63.2m | 1.4% |
| Italy | $57.0m | 1.3% |
| Germany | $55.8m | 1.3% |
Caveats
How to read these figures
- Prime contracts only. USAspending records the contract between the Department of Defense and the recipient it pays. A UK firm that supplies a US prime contractor, or a UK prime, is a subcontractor and does not appear here unless it also holds a prime contract of its own. USAspending’s subaward data is partial, and no complete count of UK sites in the US defence supply chain is published; the real number is larger than any figure on this page.
- Obligations, not payments. An obligation is money the Department committed on a contract action on the day of that action. Money is sometimes de-obligated later, which shows as a negative amount, and the sums on this page include those. Nothing here is what a firm invoiced, was paid or earned, and nothing is the lifetime value of a contract.
- A recipient is a registered entity, not a company group. USAspending counts by unique entity identifier. A group with three registered subsidiaries is three recipients. 461 is therefore not the number of companies, and the page never says company where it means recipient.
- FY2026’s record is published only to 23 July 2026. Department of Defense contract data is released to the public ninety days after the action, so when the figures were pulled on 23 October 2026 the latest action in the record was dated 23 July 2026. August and September 2026 are not yet in it, and FY2026’s recipient count and total will both rise when they are. The ten-year change on this page is therefore measured to FY2025, the last complete year, and FY2026 is shown as what has been published so far.
- The region is the registered address. Each recipient is placed by the city on the address USAspending holds for it, read against Ordnance Survey Open Names for its ONS region; 17 city strings the lookup could not place were assigned by hand from the recipient's address. A recipient that reported more than one city is placed by the city on most of its actions. The place of performance table is the publisher's own field for where the work was done and is the only part of the page that speaks to that.
- The sector is the code on the transaction. Each contract action carries the North American Industry Classification System code the contracting officer chose. A recipient appears in every sector it had a code in, so the recipient counts by sector add up to more than the total; the obligations by sector are summed by the code on each action and do add up. Industry names are USAspending’s.
- Nothing here is about compliance. A prime contract carries the clauses written into it, and which ones apply to a given firm is a matter for that contract and its contracting officer. This page counts contract actions. It does not say, and cannot say, what any firm is required to do or whether it does it.
- Nothing here is re-coded. Regions and sectors are groupings of the publisher’s own fields, with 17 city strings placed by hand; every figure is a count or a sum of its records.
The front door
What a prime contract brings to reception, and where a sign in record fits
A Department of Defense contract carries the clauses written into it. Some of those clauses reach the front door of a UK site. Where a contractor’s information systems hold federal contract information, the Federal Acquisition Regulation’s basic safeguarding clause asks it to escort visitors, monitor their activity and keep audit logs of physical access to those systems and the places they sit; a contract that involves controlled unclassified information points to NIST SP 800-171 Rev 2, whose physical protection family asks the same in almost the same words. Which of those apply to a given recipient, if any, is a matter for its contract, and nothing on this page says.
Noon Elite makes a sign in kiosk that keeps one record of that kind: who came onto the site, who they were visiting, when they arrived and left, and which site rules they accepted at the door. It is a record towards named controls, not a finding that any control is met, and it does not make a site compliant with anything. The pages on physical protection under NIST SP 800-171 and CMMC, visitor access under Def Stan 05-138 and the MOD’s Facility Security Clearance guidance quote each control and set out what the record shows and what stays with the site.
Sources and method
Where each figure comes from
- USAspending.gov advanced searchUSAspending.gov (US Department of the Treasury). The same filter, set by hand: award type contracts, awarding agency Department of Defense, recipient location United Kingdom, the time period. The firm-level record this page does not reproduce.
- USAspending API, spending by transaction and by recipientThe two endpoints the figures were pulled from, spending_by_transaction for every contract action in the window and spending_by_category/recipient for the per-recipient sums by fiscal year back to FY2017. The request bodies are in the derivation script.
- About the data on USAspending.govUSAspending’s own account of where its contract data comes from (the Federal Procurement Data System), what an obligation is, and the reporting lag.
- OS Open Names through postcodes.ioThe ONS region of each recipient city, from Ordnance Survey Open Names under the Open Government Licence, looked up once and kept with the derivation.
Figures derived 23 October 2026 from records pulled 23 October 2026, by a script that reads the saved API responses and writes every figure on this page; the script and the responses are kept so the derivation repeats exactly. The page is refreshed when a new fiscal year has closed and its ninety days have passed.
Source data: USAspending.gov, a work of the United States Government, not subject to copyright. See USA.gov on government works. Regions: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026, under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Use these figures
Quote them freely
Quote any figure here, with the source as USAspending.gov and this page as the analysis. The data is a work of the United States Government and is not subject to copyright; the regions come from Ordnance Survey Open Names under the Open Government Licence.
The table by region is available as a file with the source on every row: the recipients by region. The firm-level record is on USAspending.gov, and the filter to reproduce it is in the first source above.
If a figure here is wrong, say so and it will be corrected: ben@noonelite.com.
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