Report: Britain boosting air defence capabilities

Lord Vernon Coaker, Minister of State for Defence in the House of Lords, has outlined the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) ongoing and future air defence plans in a letter to Baroness Annabel Goldie, dated 17 February 2025.

The letter follows an Oral Question on Air Defence in the House of Lords on 9 January 2025, where Baroness Goldie requested further details on the government’s approach to strengthening air defence capabilities.

While the Strategic Defence Review will provide a more detailed roadmap, Lord Coaker confirmed that several key projects are already in progress, including:

• Increasing the number of SkySabre Medium Range Ground-Based Air Defence launchers to nine.
• Developing Sea Viper Evolution missiles, designed to counter ballistic missile threats, with service entry scheduled for 2028.
• Introducing the E-7 Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning aircraft, which will significantly improve early threat detection and interception, entering service later this year.

The letter also sets out ongoing collaboration with allies to enhance interoperability across NATO and Europe. Lord Coaker stated that the UK is actively engaged in:

• The DIAMOND Initiative, which aims to integrate air defence systems across Europe for faster decision-making and more effective responses to threats.
• The European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI), a multinational effort to develop an integrated European air defence system with anti-ballistic missile capabilities. The UK has signed a Letter of Intent to take part.
• The European Long-Range Strike Approach (ELSA), a collaborative programme involving six NATO nations, supporting projects such as the Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon (FC/ASW) and deep precision strike capabilities under the UK-German Trinity House Agreement.
• The Trinity House Agreement with Germany, which aims to boost industrial collaboration and investment in Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD).

The letter states that NATO alignment remains central to the UK’s defence planning, ensuring that national investments contribute effectively to shared security objectives.