Colin Da Silva, former Deputy Chief of Defence Staff of the United Kingdom, stated that the country’s capacity to defend itself against ballistic missiles is “extremely limited,” warning that this poses a serious threat to national security as such attacks become more common in modern warfare.
According to the British press, discussions over the adequacy of the UK’s air and missile defence systems have resurfaced following Iran’s attempted launch of two ballistic missiles toward the British-American base in Diego Garcia in March.
Da Silva noted that the UK Ministry of Defence and the Treasury have yet to determine an “adequate level of funding” for air and missile defence.
He also pointed out that while European allies possess land-based missile defence systems designed to neutralize high-altitude, fast-moving targets and hypersonic weapons, the UK relies on its Type 45 destroyers equipped with Aster 15 and Aster 30 air defence systems. He emphasized that these systems have “very limited capabilities” and are unable to protect large portions of the country.
The military expert further recalled that British Typhoon fighter jets armed with AIM-132 missiles, as well as the Sky Sabre land-based air defence system equipped with CAMM (Common Anti-Air Modular Missile), are not designed to counter ballistic missiles or hypersonic weapons.
Responding to the criticism, the UK Ministry of Defence stated that “the United Kingdom has the necessary resources to ensure its security against threats originating from overseas.” The ministry also noted that the UK relies on its NATO allies in this regard.
However, according to the British press, military experts have expressed doubts about relying on neighboring countries, highlighting that NATO members may be reluctant to deploy their scarce and costly missile defence systems against threats that do not directly target them.