Britain given stark warning over ‘limited’ air defence systems

Britain’s air defence systems are “very limited”, a key defence contractor has claimed, as the Ministry of Defence warned of the gravest risk of attack from the skies in 30 years.

Northrop Grumman UK, a leading provider of defence technology to the RAF and Royal Navy, offered its assessment in response to questioning by a parliamentary committee examining lessons to be learned from the war in Ukraine.

Asked whether there was a need for increased investment in integrated air and missile defence (IAMD), the company said Britain’s lack of capacity was a major risk to national security.

The company said: “Current capabilities are very limited, to the point of being negligible, which is the result of long-term under-investment and an over-reliance on Nato partners’ capabilities. This capability gap poses a significant risk to national security and the war demonstrates why IAMD is now a critical requirement.”

The intervention ranks among the starkest of public assessments of Britain’s state of readiness by an organisation with intimate knowledge of the country’s defence.

The comments echo a recent report from the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi), which found that the UK’s ground-to-air systems were “not currently equipped to be able to defeat many kinds of air threat” and that Russian submarines were within range to strike Britain without warning.

The number of personnel with expertise in air defences was said to be “very small”, and the government had not invested in the latest, most sophisticated systems, which use a range of radars that are difficult to destroy or deceive.

The MoD said in its own evidence to the House of Lords committee that an attack from the skies was “at its most acute for over 30 years”.

An MoD spokesperson said: “The UK is well prepared for any event and ... we continue to review potential opportunities to develop our capabilities and modernise air defence across Europe in close discussion with allies and partners.”