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A tank explosion which killed two British Army soldiers was caused by a design flaw, a coroner has found.

Royal Tank Regiment corporals Matthew Hatfield, 27, and Darren Neilson, 31, died during a live firing exercise at Castlemartin Range in Pembrokeshire.

A seal stopping explosive gases escaping into a tank crew’s turret was not in place before the lethal blast. The manufacturer failed to spot the tank’s gun could fire without the key safety component.

Cpl Neilson, 31, from Preston, Lancashire, was the tank commander and was thrown from the turret in the blast on 14 June 2017.

Cpl Hatfield, 27, and a father of one, from Amesbury, Wiltshire, was loading ammunition. Both men were taken to hospital but died of their injuries the following day.

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A model of the UK’s planned new fighter jet, the Tempest, has been unveiled at the Farnborough Air Show.

The UK’s Defence Secretary, Gavin Williamson, said the jet could be used with either pilots or as a drone.

The craft will eventually replace the existing Typhoon fighter jet. It will be developed and built by BAE Systems, engine maker Rolls-Royce, Italy’s Leonardo and missiles expert MBDA.

Mr Williamson said the UK would be investing £2bn in the new project. The hope is to see it flying by 2035.

Mr Williamson said the programme was aimed at ensuring the UK’s continued leadership in fighter technology and control of air space in future combat: «We have been a world leader in the combat air sector for a century, with an enviable array of skills and technology, and this strategy makes clear that we are determined to make sure it stays that way.»

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US President Donald Trump says his face-to-face meeting in Helsinki with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was «a good start».

After two hours of closed-door talks the two leaders went into a working lunch with their senior advisers.

Speaking earlier, Mr Putin said it was time to discuss «difficult multi-national issues».

Relations between Russia and the West were severely strained by Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Russia is also accused of meddling in the 2016 US election, a claim it strongly denies.

Speaking before Monday’s much-anticipated summit, Mr Trump said he hoped for an «extraordinary relationship» and blamed US-Russia tensions on previous administrations. Some US politicians had called for the summit to be cancelled after 12 Russian military intelligence agents were charged on Friday with hacking the presidential campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. But writing on Twitter, Mr Trump put the blame for the deterioration in relations with Russia on «years of US foolishness and stupidity and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt».  In response, Russia’s foreign affairs ministry tweeted: «We agree.» The tweets are likely to alarm White House advisers already nervous about the risks of ceding too much ground to the Russian leader during the talks.

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