Britain’s Air Defense System Severely Limited, Almost “Negligible” – Report

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — Britain has been warned about its severely limited air defense system, to the extent that it is deemed “negligible,” as the country’s Ministry of Defense issues a warning that the risk of aerial attacks on the country is the highest in 30 years.

 This warning was issued by Northrop Grumann UK, which was asked by a parliamentary committee to provide analysis on lessons that can be learned from the conflict in Ukraine.

The company stated that continuous investment is needed in the Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) system.

“Britain’s lack of capability in IAMD poses a high risk to its security,” the company said.

 “The existing capability is extremely limited, to the point where it is almost negligible. This is a result of a lack of investment and an excessive dependence on other allies within NATO,” according to the company.

 

All these “capability gaps” have posed a high security threat to Britain, and with the conflict between Ukraine and Russia as evidence, IAMD is a necessity for the country.

The statement by Northrop Grumann UK is among the most critical analyses provided by a defense company with deep insights into the country’s defense situation.

Northrop Grumann supports the Royal Air Force’s F-35 fighter jets and the aircraft carriers and submarines of the British Navy, which are the backbone of the country’s defense.

“Clearly, Britain needs to further strengthen its investment in the Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) system. However, it requires a truly integrated system as has been done by Poland.”

“This investment requires significant expenditure to protect military capabilities, government, and critical infrastructure.”

“However, Russia has shown that it is capable of targeting anything in warfare, and Britain is within the range of Russian missiles,” the defense company said.

The report by Northrop Grumann is in line with a report by a think tank, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), which found that Britain’s air defense system is not capable of defeating many of these threats, including from Russian submarines that can attack Britain without any warning.

A few months ago, a report by the British Parliament concluded that the country’s air force has a “too small” number of combat aircraft, leaving it with no chance in a war with Russia.

The Royal Air Force (RAF) would face “total annihilation” in a confrontation with the Russian Air Force, according to the report.

The Parliament report stated that the number of Eurofighter Typhoon and F-35 fighter jets owned by the RAF is too small to face the estimated 1,500 combat aircraft of the Russian Air Force that are fully equipped for various combat missions.

The RAF is reported to only have 169 combat aircraft at present, the lowest number in history since World War II, due to defense budget cuts by successive British governments.

In 1990, Britain was reported to have as many as 463 combat aircraft.

 

According to the report by the British Parliament, Britain currently has the lowest number of combat aircraft compared to other European continental powers such as Germany and France.

Currently, France has a total of 231 combat aircraft, Germany 214 combat aircraft, and Italy 199 combat aircraft.

“In a war with Russia, every combat aircraft is crucial. Britain’s defense planning will result in a continued defense capability gap until 2030.

 This is unacceptable. The Ministry of Defense and the RAF need to take immediate action to increase their number of combat aircraft,” according to the British Parliament report.

Despite facing a critical shortage of combat aircraft, Britain still intends to retire about 30 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets by 2025, five years earlier than planned, instead of upgrading them. — DSA