The UK needs its own version of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system to protect it from Russian aggression and growing instability in the Middle East, former defence ministers have told i.
Britain’s existing missile defences could “easily be overwhelmed” in the future by hypersonic missiles and risk London being “targeted on the same scale that Kyiv has had to endure”, according to Tobias Ellwood, one of the three Conservative ex ministers.
The Kremlin has warned that it would regard the UK as a legitimate target if Sir Keir Starmer’s government permits Ukraine to fire UK long-range Storm Shadow missiles inside Russian territory.
Concerns over gaps in the protection of the UK’s skies from aerial attack were heightened earlier this month when it emerged RAF Typhoons were unable to shoot down ballistic missiles fired from Iran into Israel.
‘Significant gap’ in defences
Former defence secretary Penny Mordaunt told i: “This is a significant UK capability gap we must plug at the earliest opportunity. The forthcoming Budget must enable early work to be done on the alliance’s key needs and let the US and other partners know we mean business.”
The Government has acknowledged that the threat from hostile missiles “is proliferating” and says this risk will be addressed in a forthcoming strategic defence review (SDR), due to report to Defence Secretary John Healey before June next year, i has been told.
On Thursday Healey joined fellow Nato defence ministers to launch the Diamond initiative – which is designed to integrate air defence capabilities of the UK, France, Germany, Poland, Sweden, Norway and Latvia into a wider system to protect against attack.
But the three Tory former defence ministers have warned there is still a “significant” shortfall in the country’s aerial defence strength and called on the government to ensure it is prioritised in the SDR.
One of them, James Cartlidge, who is currently shadow defence secretary, told i: “Everything that is happening in Ukraine, and in particular from our point of view the recent attacks in the Red Sea by the Houthis, all point to the fact that we need to both increase our capability of air defence systems and munitions and we need to do it as rapidly as possible.
“It needs to be done in an integrated way across the whole of defence.”
And in a new report, Labour Friends of Israel, which represents Labour parliamentarians supportive of the Jewish state, has also called for the UK to adopt an Iron Dome-style missile defence shield like that used in Israel.
The UK’s current air defence capabilities include a system known as Sea Viper, on board the Royal Navy’s fleet of six Type 45 Destroyers, which can shoot down ballistic missiles.
One of these, HMS Diamond, intercepted a ballistic missile fired by the Iran-backed Houthi group from Yemen towards a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden in April. It was the first such engagement by the Sea Viper.
But this capability would require a Destroyer to be in a UK port at all times, and experts have warned that even this would not be enough to deflect a barrage of ballistic missiles fired from Russia or another hostile state, or to intercept hypersonic weapons.
According to the latest update to Parliament in May, three of the Royal Navy’s six Destroyers, HMS Diamond, HMS Duncan and HMS Dauntless are available for operations but the other three – Daring, Dragon and Defender – are undergoing upgrades.
RAF Typhoon jets have the capability to shoot down enemy drones – as they did against Iran’s attack against Israel in April – but cannot intercept ballistic missiles.
The UK also has short and medium range ground-based air defence systems, including two stationed on the European mainland.
‘Missile threat is proliferating’
In August the defence minister Luke Pollard, asked about the UK’s air defence capability, said in a written answer that “the air and missile threat is proliferating” but insisted that the Ministry of Defence would “ensure that this changing threat picture is factored into the SDR work”.
Mordaunt told i: “There will be many asks made on defence [in the SDR] but the UK’s priority has to be Nato’s requirements, and that will include integrated air and missile defence.”
Ellwood said: “For the moment, the UK’s air defence architecture is adequate to defend our skies but the prospect of that threat picture changing not least in the form of hypersonic missiles and long range unmanned aerial systems does require us upgrade our defence posture not unlike that currently required in Ukraine and Israel.
“The combination of Type 45 Destroyers, Boeing E-7 Wedgetail [radar aircraft] replacing the E-3D Sentry AWACS planes, Quick Reaction Alert Squadrons at RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Coningsby could easily be overwhelmed and see London targeted on the same scale that Kyiv has had to endure.
“It’s now imperative for Britain to consider investing in our own Iron Dome system to keep our critical national infrastructure safe.”
In a new report entitled UK-Israel Aerial Defence Collaboration: Toward a British ‘Iron Shield’, Labour Friends of Israel points out that Germany and Finland have already bought versions of Israel’s aerial defence systems.
It adds: “As Finland and Germany have already recognised, Israel has a tested ability to defend its people from aerial threats.
“The Labour government should therefore put in place channels to learn from, and where appropriate adopt, Israeli strategies and technology to protect the homeland.”
It calls for a new “UK-Israel Defence Dialogue” to formalise the bilateral defence relationship between the two countries.
The paper adds: “The UK should explore which assets used and tested by Israel to defend the state and its civilians offer potential for acquisition and deployment by UK armed forces.
“While the UK has developed and is in the process of enhancing some of the world’s most advanced aerial defence systems, the rapidly degrading threat picture may necessitate swifter steps to ensure the UK’s security.”
Concerns over Russia grow
Concerns over Russia’s threat to the UK have escalated after MI5 director general Ken McCallum warned earlier this month that Moscow is “on a mission to cause mayhem” on British streets.
Then last week it emerged that counter-terror police were investigating whether Russia was behind the planting of an incendiary device on a plane to Britain in July. The device later caught fire at a DHL delivery depot in Birmingham.
In a sign of increasing concerns about Russia’s plans, Healey, the Defence Secretary, announced on Thursday that thousands of British troops are being put on standby to be sent to Estonia if Russia invades the Baltic state, in addition to the existing 1,000 soldiers already in the country.
An MoD spokesperson said: “As we’ve seen from Ukraine and the Middle East, the state-on-state threat from missiles and drones is advancing, proliferating, and converging. Concurrently we’re seeing more and more capability in the hands of non-state actors.
“The first duty of Government is to keep the country safe and protect its citizens.
“The SDR will examine the Defence capabilities and options to reinforce UK homeland security ensuring that a Nato-first policy is at the heart of Britain’s defence plans.”
This spring, the then Conservative defence secretary Grant Shapps held talks with European allies about the possibility of the UK joining the continent’s Sky Shield system, but these ran out of time before the general election.
In its defence paper in April, setting out plans to reach 2.5 per cent of GDP spending on defence, the Tory government emphasised the importance of an integrated missile defence system.
A defence insider told i that there needed to be a proper debate about the UK’s capabilities between conventional weaponry and its nuclear deterrent.
“We have to weigh up what the risks are. Israel faces an existential threat. We are not Israel, and we are an island,” they said.
“But we should prioritise the naval threat. If Russia were to fire ballistic missiles at the UK it would be an act of war, as it would be a breach of Nato’s Article 5.”
Missile defences from India to France but no dedicated system for the UK
Alongside Israel, many countries worldwide have dedicated defence systems designed to detect, track, intercept, and destroy incoming ballistic missiles and other airborne threats.
The United States has several tiers of defence to combat everything from short-range to intercontinental missiles.
Its ground-based midcourse defense system (GMD) has bases in Alaska and California which can launch specialist vehicles designed to collide with long-distance warheads in space and the upper atmosphere.
For closer-range warfare, it also has the terminal high-altitude area defence system (THAAD) which can intercept missiles in their final phase of flight. It is deployed at bases in Guam, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates.
A third system in the United States arsenal is the Aegis naval system, which is deployed aboard U.S. Navy destroyers and cruisers.
Both South Korea and Japan have defence systems particularly designed against the threat posed by North Korea which work in partnership with the US and feature both naval and land-based launch sites.
Russia has its S-400 Triumf system – a multi-layered defense against various types of aerial threats, including aircraft, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles.
This system has been sold to several other countries including India, which uses it as part of its two-tiered defence system capable of intercepting missiles both outside and within the Earth’s atmosphere.
Russia is also developing the S-500 Prometey system to replace Triumf which will be able to intercept not only ballistic missiles but also hypersonic missiles and low-orbit satellites.
China’s air defence system is called HQ-9 and uses a phased array radar system and surface-to-air missiles to engage various aerial threats, including aircraft, drones, and ballistic missiles.
Its replacement, HQ-19, is currently in development and will be able to better intercept medium- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles.NATO members including the US, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Spain and Turkey are host to the Patriot defence system, which can reach altitudes of up to 50,000 meters and defeat targets up to 180km away.
France also has its own system titled SAMP/T (surface-to-air missile platform/terrain) which can combat drones, aircraft and ballistic missiles within 120km. It also forms part of Nato’s defence systems.
The United Kingdom does not have a dedicated missile defence system, but it does have several important missile defence capabilities and works closely with Nato on collective defence measures.
The UK’s main contribution to Nato’s defence system is through early warning capabilities, particularly through the use of radar systems and intelligence-sharing.
Type 45 Destroyers used by the Royal Navy also have the Sea Viper air defence system which can combat short- and medium-range ballistic missiles.
