The UK government will set out a new defence industrial strategy on Monday where it will launch a £250m fund to invest in five local economies which it hopes will create jobs and fuel growth.
Defence Secretary John Healey will announce that Cardiff, Belfast, Glasgow, Sheffield and Plymouth will receive investment to expand each of the area's military and security industries.
The government has pledged to lift defence spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) - a measure of the size of the economy - by 2027 with an "ambition" to reach 3% in the next decade.
The UK recently won a £10bn contract to supply the Norwegian navy with at least five new warships.