The company has already reported impressive profits due to the war, and as the conflict continues, BAE is now expected to go ahead with even more orders. In addition to increased demand coming from the Ministry of Defence, BAE expects enhanced orders from “customers around the world”. BAE chief executive Dr Charles Woodburn said discussions with these customers would mean the company would need to “increase capacity across a whole range of munitions”. It comes after the company reported better-than-expected half-year profits of £1.1bn, up 8 per cent on last year. BAE also received an £18bn increase in orders, a 70 per cent increase, in the first half of the year. A large portion of this increase related to existing programs such as the Dreadnought nuclear ballistic submarines, as well as orders for the Hurricane aircraft. The company’s shares have also risen more than 30% since Putin first launched his brutal invasion of Ukraine in mid-February. BAE’s order backlog had also risen to £52.7bn, according to its latest results. But while BAE benefits from European countries sending lethal aid to Ukraine as its weapons replace their stockpiles, other customers could also benefit. Mr Woodburn said: “I think there will be more to come. Which, given the very unfortunate events in Ukraine, have put the heightened threat environment back on the minds of our political leaders.” READ MORE: India ready to step in and save Europe from energy crisis with £82bn NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is quoted as telling the Financial Times that the new military plan will bring a significant boost to its eastern defenses. He said: “I can assure you that we have been able to protect countries bordering Russia for decades by adjusting our presence in light of the threat assessment. We’ve done it before and we’ll do it again.” The new plans mark a return to old NATO planning for the prospect of a Soviet invasion. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, nations on NATO’s eastern front have continued to rely on old weapons from the Soviet era. But now, countries like Poland, Hungary, Romania and the Baltic nations are reportedly changing that armament. David Lockwood, chief executive of British defense contractor Babcock, said: “There are Eastern European governments, and I don’t mean Ukraine, who are now buying Western kit having grown up with Warsaw Pact kit, who need help to understand how to support and operate that and that’s the kind of thing we do in the UK.” And now, they could be trained to use more British weapons that could soon be on the way. It comes after BAE announced a £500m boost from the sale of Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Spain. The Spanish Air Force is to buy 20 new Typhoon fighters with NATO’s Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) signing the contract to acquire the jets. BAE Systems is set to benefit as a result of the deal through its participation in the manufacturing of multiple components for the Typhoon. The UK has already provided Ukraine with lethal aid worth £2.3 billion. The weapons donated included M270 multiple launch rocket systems with M31A1 precision munitions, thousands of next-generation light anti-tank weapons, and hundreds of short-range Brimstone missiles.
