'UK needs version of Israeli Iron Dome to protect us from Russia' say ex-defence ministers

Existing forces could ‘easily be overwhelmed’ and risk London being ‘targeted on same scale as Kyiv’

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 said.

Britain’s existing 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.

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The Kremlin has warned 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.

Rockets fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza City are intercepted by the Israeli Iron Dome defence missile systemRockets fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza City are intercepted by the Israeli Iron Dome defence missile system
Rockets fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza City are intercepted by the Israeli Iron Dome defence missile system | AFP via Getty Images

Concerns over gaps in the protection of British skies were heightened this month when it emerged RAF Typhoons were unable to shoot down ballistic missiles fired from Iran into Israel.

Former defence secretary Penny Mordaunt told the i newspaper: “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.

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On Thursday, Mr 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.

The UK will also sign a defence agreement with Germany this week, designed to bolster both countries’ defence industries, it has been reported.

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, said: “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.

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“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.

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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.

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