Warships at risk from more advanced enemies

Britain’s costly warships and aircraft are at risk from potential enemies because of their ageing missile and surveillance technology, a respected think tank has warned.

Technological leaps by rivals such as Russia and China have eroded the military dominance once taken for granted by the West, the paper from the Royal United Services Institute said. The report singles out long-range missiles “which threaten large land, maritime and air platforms” and could knock out satellite-based communications and positioning systems that Western militaries have become reliant on.

The report warns that “missiles costing (much) less than half a million pounds a unit could at least disable a British aircraft carrier that costs more than £3billion”. It goes on: “China and Russia appear to have focused many (but not all) of their efforts on being able to put at risk the key Western assets that are large, few in number and expensive.”