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Grant Shapps yesterday confirmed Britain is in talks to join Europe’s new air defence system which would shoot down missile and drone strikes from foes such as Russia.
The Defence Secretary said the UK is in the early stages of working with its European allies about what a ‘Sky Shield may look like’.
It comes amid calls from the head of the Armed Forces, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, that Britain would need an ‘Iron Dome’ missile defence in the future.
The UK already has a ‘layered protection’, Mr Shapps said, which includes supersonic Typhoon jets which are poised to be scrambled at any time if needed.
Europe’s Sky Shield was initiated by Germany after Vladimir Putin’s Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has confirmed Britain is in talks to join Europe’s new air defence system which would shoot down missile and drone strikes from foes such as Russia
A soldier stands in front of a PATRIOT (Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target) surface-to-air missile system during a military exercise at Warsaw Babice Airport, Poland
Some 21 countries have signed up to the initiative, including non-NATO members, which is designed to build an integrated air and missile defence system across Europe.
It aims to cut costs for countries by coordinating their procurement of air and missile defence systems such as the Patriot missile system. It also aims to enable cooperation in training, maintenance and logistics.
Switzerland officially joined last month, despite fears by some Swiss last year that it would compromise the country’s long-standing neutrality.
Mr Shapps confirmed to The Sun talks were in the early stages with ‘our European neighbours’ about the scheme.
But he didn’t go as far as to say Britain would need something similar to Israel’s Iron Dome defence technology.
‘We are not in that Israeli situation where Hamas is already firing rockets at Israel on a daily basis, hundreds of thousands each year, and so are Lebanese and Hezbollah,’ he said.
‘So they [Israel] have a rather more pressing need.’
He warned other countries would be ‘insane’ to launch a missile attack on Britain as by law – set out in Article 5 of the NATO treaty – 31 countries would jump to the UK’s defence.
Adm Sir Tony said last week that ‘live conversations’ were underway’ about boosting Britain’s defences – although he noted that Israel’s situation was ‘very different’ and being a member of NATO offered protection.
Asked if an ‘Iron Dome’ was needed, Admiral Sir Tony told LBC’s Tonight with Andrew Marr: ‘That will be needed in the future, that is a live conversation.
‘We have several capabilities that help to protect the UK and to help our forces when they’re stationed abroad, we don’t have the same kind of system that Israel has but we don’t live in the same type of neighbourhood that Israel lives in, so that’s why it’s very different.
‘And we also are part of this big alliance [Nato] but when you look at the threats that are out there, far more longer range missiles, far more longer range one way attack drones, much easier ways of delivering those.
‘So that’s why we’ve got various initiatives both for ourselves as the UK but also with our European allies about how we might better defend ourselves in the future, conscious that those threats are probably going to increase.’
Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system intercepts rockets launched from Gaza in October 2023
Military chiefs, experts and politicians have called for further cash to be spent on improving Britain’s current air defences, to create an Israeli-style ‘Iron Dome’
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said ‘live conversations’ were underway’ about boosting Britain’s defences
Former Defence Minister Mark Francois became the last senior political figure to call for a ‘UK equivalent of Israel’s Iron Dome system’ in an interview yesterday.
James Heappey, the former armed forces minister, has also backed the calls – although critics have noted Britain’s bigger size would make a British Iron Dome far more complex and costly than Israel’s.
Senior defence insiders are concerned a hostile force such as Vladimir Putin’s Russia could one day launch a direct aerial onslaught against Britain, raining down cruise missiles and kamikaze drones on key military bases and UK cities.
The attack on Israel saw the Iranian regime firing more than 300 drones and ballistic missiles at the Jewish state – with 99 per cent of them being intercepted by the Iron Dome.
A former head of the Royal Navy claimed this week that Britain would be unable to protect its citizens from such an aerial bombardment.
While a former Air Vice Marshal in the RAF told MailOnline the assault on Israel should act as a ‘wake up’ call – he insisted Russia would struggle to mount such an offensive against the UK for ‘at least a decade’, due to its losses in Ukraine.
However, the concerns have now prompted a public plea from Penny Mordaunt, who championed Israel’s Iron Dome and suggested the UK could ‘look to Israel’s example’ in how to invest in new defence tech.
