UK reviews Lockheed Martin satellite deal amid Starlink concerns
Britain is reassessing a potential £2 billion contract for new military satellites following restrictions on Starlink in Ukraine.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Спутниковая широкополосная система Starlink, используемая на Украине. Фото: Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP / Getty Images
Photograph: EADaily (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Britain is reviewing a deal with US company Lockheed Martin for new Skynet military satellites.
- The review follows reports of restrictions on Starlink satellite communications for Ukraine.
- Concerns exist that the US could gain veto power over the Skynet system.
- The potential deal is valued at up to £2 billion or $2.6 billion.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 7 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 4 of the 11 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
50/100
Craft
65/100
Hype
45/100
11 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
None of the 7 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
The United Kingdom is reassessing a contract with US firm Lockheed Martin for the next generation of its Skynet military satellites. This review comes after reports that Starlink satellite communications were restricted for use by Ukrainian forces. A key concern is that the United States might gain a veto over the operation of the Skynet system.
Disagreement on deal status
While the UK Ministry of Defence stated that the procurement process is ongoing and no final decisions have been made, one report suggests the deal is over. Bankingnews.gr stated that the White House will have a kill switch for British satellites, framing the situation as an "unprecedented rupture between Britain and the US" due to the "instrumentalisation of Starlink."
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated reports below mention that Lockheed Martin states its satellites would be built in the UK and be fully sovereign. The full report from EADaily did include this claim, attributing it to Lockheed Martin.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 16 Oct 2026, 07:45, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated left has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Centre
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated centre has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Right
7 rated outlets
- Right-rated reports focused on Britain's review of the Skynet satellite deal with Lockheed Martin, linking it to Starlink restrictions in Ukraine. EADaily reported that the UK is reviewing the deal after Starlink's shutdown in Ukraine, citing The Telegraph. The outlet noted concerns that the US could gain veto power over the system, with an unnamed defence sector source stating that transferring the contract to Lockheed Martin risks giving the White House an "emergency off-switch." EADaily also mentioned that Lockheed Martin states its satellites would be built in the UK and be fully sovereign, but expressed concerns about components being sourced from the US and subject to ITAR export controls. The outlet quoted defence analyst Francis Tusa, who warned that awarding the contract to an American company would mean "a kind of leash, tying these satellites to the US, meaning they can be turned off." GB News reported that Britain is poised to award a £2 billion military satellite deal to Lockheed Martin despite control fears, stating the Ministry of Defence is on the verge of awarding the contract. Topwar.ru also reported that Britain will reconsider the US satellite deal due to a possible switch, citing The Telegraph and the UK Department of Defence's intention to reconsider the deal with Lockheed Martin. News-pravda.com stated the UK is reviewing the deal with Lockheed Martin after the restriction of Starlink's work in Ukraine, noting the Defence Ministry wanted to purchase $2.6 billion worth of new-generation Skynet satellites. Politika.rs reported the contract with Lockheed Martin is worth $2.6 billion. Vz.ru reported that London revised the satellite deal with the US after it restricted Starlink's operation, noting British officials began to review the agreement with Lockheed Martin for the supply of military satellites following reports of limitations on Starlink communications for the Ukrainian army, and that the deal was revised due to fears of Washington's veto power.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover UK reviews Lockheed Martin satellite deal amid Starlink concerns?
- Of the 7 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 0% are rated left, 0% are rated centre, 100% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 11. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is UK reviews Lockheed Martin satellite deal amid Starlink concerns left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 7 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of UK reviews Lockheed Martin satellite deal amid Starlink concerns biased?
- UK reviews Lockheed Martin satellite deal amid Starlink concerns is one event reported by 11 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting UK reviews Lockheed Martin satellite deal amid Starlink concerns?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered UK reviews Lockheed Martin satellite deal amid Starlink concerns?
- 11 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Why is the UK reviewing its satellite deal with Lockheed Martin?
- The UK is reviewing the deal following reports of restrictions on Starlink satellite communications for Ukraine. Concerns have arisen that the US could gain veto power over the UK's Skynet military satellite system if the contract is awarded to an American company.
- What is the potential value of the Skynet satellite deal?
- The potential deal for the new generation of Skynet military satellites is valued at up to £2 billion, which is equivalent to $2.6 billion.
- What are the specific concerns about US control over the Skynet system?
- There are fears that the US could gain veto power over how Britain uses the vital Skynet system. This concern is heightened by the possibility that key components and technologies could be subject to US export controls, potentially giving Washington leverage during future crises.
Read it at the source
11 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Centre
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Right
7- Britain Will Reconsider the U.S. Satellite Deal because of a Possible Switch. (opens topwar.ru in a new tab)
- Britain poised to award £2bn military satellite deal to US defence giant despite control fears (opens GB News in a new tab)
- After Starlink's Shut Down in Ukraine, London Is Reviewing the U.S. Satellite Deal. (opens EADaily in a new tab)
- The UK is reviewing the deal with Lockheed Martin after the restriction of Starlink's work in Ukraine, the Telegraph writes (opens news-pravda.com in a new tab)
news-pravda.com — is news-pravda.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Britain to Review Military Satellite Deal with US (opens politika.rs in a new tab)
politika.rs — is politika.rs biased? Our profile of this outlet
- London Revised the Satellite Deal with the U.S. After It Restricted Starlink's Operation. (opens vz.ru in a new tab)
- Britain prepares to hand military satellite contract to US ... (opens The Telegraph in a new tab)
The Telegraph — is The Telegraph biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
4- The Telegraph: Britain Will Reconsider the US Deal After the Starlink Situation (opens Life.ru in a new tab)
- The UK Is Reviewing Its Satellite Deal with the US Following Starlink Restrictions. (opens anlatilaninotesi.com.tr in a new tab)
anlatilaninotesi.com.tr — is anlatilaninotesi.com.tr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Britain Is Reviewing the U.S. Satellite Deal From Ukraine, Writing the Media. (opens 1prime.ru in a new tab)
- Unprecedented Rupture Between Britain and the US: "The Deal with Lockheed Is over Due to... Instrumentalization of Starlink" (opens bankingnews.gr in a new tab)
bankingnews.gr — is bankingnews.gr biased? Our profile of this outlet
How did this read?
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