Media: UK’s air defence falling short against missile, drone, ballistic threats

The Royal Air Force (RAF) and the UK’s broader air defence systems are facing significant gaps in their capabilities, military analysts say.

The integrated air and missile defence (IAMD) is becoming increasingly vital across NATO, especially amid ongoing global conflicts such as the air struggle over Ukraine and missile and drone strikes on Israel. Despite having the fifth-largest defence budget globally, the UK is reportedly unprepared to defend itself effectively against current threats, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

"IAMD isn’t purely defensive: it is also an enabler for offensive operations and a deterrent. It’s probably one of the more vital Defence capabilities, given ongoing events across the world," experts argue. Unfortunately, the UK’s air defence is falling short.

The UK’s current system can handle three key threats: ballistic weapons (including nuclear), conventional missiles, and drones. However, “the threat was very low” in the post-Cold War era, and defence capabilities were not prioritized. That is no longer the case, with growing threats from all three areas.

The RAF's existing fleet includes the Quick Reaction Alert fighter jets at RAF Coningsby and RAF Lossiemouth, designed to intercept suspect aircraft, primarily Russian bombers or maritime patrol planes. Additionally, the RAF will soon deploy the E-7 Wedgetail early warning aircraft, though it currently relies on ground-based radar, which has limitations, especially in detecting low-flying drones and missiles.

The British Army has some air defence capacity through its 7th Air Defence Group, equipped with the "Sky Sabre" version of the Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM), which is effective at short-range defence. However, these systems were designed for expeditionary operations, not large-scale domestic defence. Meanwhile, the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers, with the Sea Viper system, can handle conventional missile and drone threats but lack the ability to counter hypersonic or ballistic missiles.

"There is no capability to shoot down missiles with an exo-atmospheric trajectory or hypersonics and nothing for drones over land," a report notes.

Experts highlight that while the UK has made strides with counter-drone technology and directed energy weapons, these systems are still maturing and cannot be deployed quickly enough to provide adequate defence.

“The best option would be land-based Sea Viper providing overlapping coverage for key strategic locations,” the report suggests, emphasizing the importance of controlling airspace as well as shooting down threats.

However, the cost of expanding the UK’s air defence is significant. A single THAAD battery, for example, costs $1.8 billion, while each missile is priced at $12.6 million.

With the UK’s defence budget already stretched, experts warn that without more investment, the country will remain vulnerable.

By Vafa Guliyeva