The wings of the RAF’s new air tanker have left Airbus UK’s production line in Broughton, Wales, bound for Toulouse.

The British Army’s Mk 9 Lynx helicopters’ CTS800 engines are to be upgraded by Rolls Royce and Honeywell.

One of the key components of the UK’s helicopter fleet in Iraq and Afghanistan is being fitted with an upgraded defensive aids suite.

In the face of the worst global economic crisis for generations, BAE Systems has seen its profits rise by 91% and sales rise by 30% to £18.5bn.

Inside the cargo hold of the RAF’s largest ever plane, the Boeing C-17 Globemaster, the world’s highest flying intensive care unit is in operation.

The first two-seater Spitfire aircraft to be auctioned in over two decades is expected to reach a price of around £1.5m when it goes on sale.