The UK's contribution of military aid to Ukraine has involved sending much equipment that was nearing the end of its operational life, according to a report from the National Audit Office on Wednesday.
Following the report, shares in some UK defence companies rose as investors eyed the rebuilding of stockpiles.
Items that were sent to Ukraine included Challenger-2 tanks and army boots, out of a total commitment of £7.8 billion of UK military support between January 2022 and March 2025.
The equipment provided includes air defence missiles, drones, cruise missiles, tanks and ships, as well as clothing and personal equipment.
This allowed the Ministry of Defence to clear out old stock, the NAO report said, noting that the MoD "prioritised older items in identifying equipment to donate to Ukraine and takes into account the risks to the UK’s military readiness, based on NATO warfighting requirements".
The depletion of reserves has led the UK to commit £2.5 billion to replenish its stockpiles, with a further £10 billion allocated over the next decade to boost munitions production.
Shares in the UK's listed defence contractors, including BAE Systems PLC (LSE:BA.), QinetiQ Group PLC (LSE:QQ.), Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (LSE:RR.), Babcock International PLC (LSE:BAB), Avon Protection PLC (LSE:AVON) and Chemring Group (LSE:CHG), were mixed on Wednesday.
Rolls-Royce and Qinetiq were up 1.2%, while BAE rose 0.6%, but Babcock, Avon and Chemring were down 0.6%.