Defence Aviation | Net Zero Strategy

Defence Aviation

The UK government has established a legal requirement for the country to reach net zero emissions by the year 2050.1 In response to this, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has issued its Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach2 outlining how defence will contribute to this requirement. In 2022 the Department for Transport (DfT) published the Government’s Jet Zero Strategy to achieve net zero UK aviation by 205034 .

Whilst emissions from military flying were not included in their emissions reduction trajectory, Defence is aligned with the Jet Zero Strategy and will lead the activity necessary for the UK’s Defence Aviation to contribute to net zero by 2050, in-line with wider Defence policy. 

As such, this strategy accounts for both ambitions and timelines. Defence Aviation emissions, attributable to the combustion of aviation fuel, contributed around 35% of the MOD’s total emissions in 2019/207 . Aviation emissions are not only the largest contributor, but they are also seen as some of the hardest to abate due to the significant technological challenges that are involved. The strategy sets out the arguments for change: the scope, the military aviation context, and the mitigation options that form the decarbonisation pathway. These include rethinking capability provision; improved technical and operational efficiency; sustainable aviation fuel; zero emissions propulsion; and the necessity for carbon removals.

Hydrogen Aviation