Air defence missile shoots down ‘target’ in British skies

UK troops have test-fired the Sky Sabre air defence system on British soil for the first time, according to a British Army news update.

The live firing took place during Exercise Formidable Shield 25 in the Outer Hebrides, marking what the Army described as a significant step in strengthening NATO’s defensive shield.

Sky Sabre is designed to counter modern airborne threats, including aircraft, drones and precision-guided munitions. Using the Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM), the system can engage multiple targets simultaneously at ranges of up to 120km. It is noted for its extreme accuracy, with the ability to hit an object the size of a tennis ball travelling at twice the speed of sound.

The system integrates three components: the Agile Multi-Beam “Giraffe” radar, a battle management and communications centre, and Land Ceptor missile launch vehicles. During the Hebrides exercise, Sky Sabre was employed alongside NATO allies’ air and naval forces, including Norwegian F-35s and UK Eurofighters, in complex scenarios involving both ballistic missile defence and air defence operations.

Warrant Officer Class 2 Ben Norris of 16th Regiment Royal Artillery, the unit operating the system, said: “What we can take away from this is how complex our system is and how unique it is against all the other equipment sets within NATO. We bring such a unique variation of Air Defence within that concept.”

The Ministry of Defence used the exercise to highlight wider investment in UK ground-based air defence. On the same day, ministers confirmed the doubling of deployable Sky Sabre units, with a new £118 million contract for six additional Land Ceptor launchers to be built by MBDA in Bolton, supporting up to 140 jobs.

Officials described the combined exercise and procurement as part of the government’s “NATO First” approach under the Strategic Defence Review. By expanding Sky Sabre, the Army aims to reinforce homeland defence and boost contributions to collective deterrence, while sustaining industrial capacity in the North West.

Formidable Shield is NATO’s largest live-fire naval exercise, involving nine allies and multiple aircraft, ships and ground units. For the British Army, the debut of Sky Sabre in a UK setting provided a public demonstration of its evolving role in a layered defence network designed to counter a wide range of aerial threats.