The UK is expanding its air defence footprint across the Middle East, deploying additional systems and extending fast jet operations as the conflict with Iran enters its second month.
Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed a series of new deployments during a visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain, including the dispatch of the Sky Sabre air defence system to Saudi Arabia, where it will be integrated into wider regional networks.
“Iran’s aggressive attacks continue to threaten our allies and interests in the Middle East,” Healey said, adding that the UK is “delivering further support by extending our UK jets in Qatar and deploying extra air defence teams and systems.”
A Royal Artillery battery, alongside radar, control and launcher elements, is expected to deploy to Saudi Arabia within days, following a reconnaissance mission to prepare for integration with existing air defence systems. Elsewhere, the UK’s Lightweight Multirole Missile system has been deployed to Bahrain, supported by British personnel to assist with integration, while Rapid Sentry ground-based air defence and the RAF’s ORCUS counter-drone system are now operating in Kuwait.
The UK has also extended the deployment of Typhoon fighter jets in Qatar, where the joint UK-Qatar squadron has been flying defensive missions since the start of the conflict. Aircraft have been operating across Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and the UAE, contributing to efforts to counter incoming threats.
Healey said UK aircraft and crews have now flown more than 1,280 hours on defensive operations, protecting British nationals, bases and regional partners.
Are these super rich nations footing the bill for all this or is just us being nice. The cost of missile fired has to be paid by the MOD and they are skint at the best of times, Britain again helping when can not afford it. Why can’t the Gulf nations defened them selves that are loaded or at least foot the bill?.
Ukraine now this we have little left and can not afford to replace what we give away. We just go with out.
Yes we must help allies but sadly we can not replace what we use, still not even ordered most of the Ammo we gave to Uraine 4 years ago, firing expensive missiles at cheap drone and flying ouhours added the our aircraft some has pay its always us paying then going with out while our government pats its selfon the back, what do the gulf states ever do for us?
No one ever helps us, funds any thing, we make do and mend with less and less but its ok we take the high moral ground as we help out at our expense again.
The gulf nations are defending themselves, the vast majority of intercepts are done by their aircraft and missile batteries. We are just help like Allie’s as suppose to.
And no we are not presenting anyone with a bill.
The US is trying to get the GCC countries to pay for their operation as they are running out of money and congress won’t fund this war.
More fool us, when have any of Gulf Nations came to our aid, so we are paying to defend them when that so rich and we are not, what do we get in return? Seems a one sided part for Allies, tired of us running out, making do, gaping kit for nothing in return and the cost footed by the few left who work in the UK.
Every one takes from us but give nothing back, while robbing us on oil prices as it suits them, just look at the state of our armed forces as run down as it gets yet here we are playing on the world stag, why? apart from nice words we get nothing for it.
We can not afford it,
Jordan is actively defending Cyprus alongside RAF jets.
*Apologies, I see you said Gulf.
Realistically trying to keep oil / gas/ fertiliser flowing is essential for our economy. Cost of the missiles is peanuts compared to the economic damage done to our country by this war.
Agreed, damage has already started, my only point was why us why do defend countries that can affored it better that we can and do us no favours. I know why it is done I just think some times the Gulf countries let other do what they sould be doing but can not be arsed to. Then they decide how much oil to pump to keep them selves rich,
We have off shore oil and gas but its expensive to drill for , its a no win for us pay for all the missiles etc or pay more for oil and gas, or both.
Our oil just goes to the highest bidder as it’s privately owned. Same with the middle east oil. Very little of the oil we consume as a nation comes from the middle east, but as a major player they are able to set the global rate. Like any country they do what is best for their own national interests.
I do agree however that they could offer something to offset the cost involved in defending them, especially as their oil is state owned unlike ours, and so all the increase profit they are making is going directly to the state. I guess they pay us back by buying British military kit rather than US but still. They could throw us a few billion to say thanks and not notice it, since the average person on those countries doesn’t get the money anyway.
All true,
For a country that apparently doesn’t have any GBAD and is apparently completely vulnerable to Russian cruise missile attacks we seem to have alot of ground based air defences.
It’s almost like everything that was on the internet was a load of shite and the armed forces did not go around broadcasting systems it had for operational security.
Sky Sabre first class
Typhoon first class
F35 first class
Rapid sentry first class
Stormer first class
Lynx wildcat first class
Crowsnest first class
Star streak first class
Type 45 first class
Most of these systems are preset in numbers as well.
There are also indications in the press that the Uk is operating a region wide air defences network system incorporating land sea and air units which sounds like a fore runner for project DIAMOND. T45, typhoon, Crowsnest, wildcat and Rapid Sentry all said to be on the same system in the eastern Med.
what numbers, please enlighten me, i like numbers
7 skysabre systems with 9 planned
11 Rapid Sentry systems based on the number of radars ordered
129 Typhoons
47 F35’s
62 Lynx wildcat
6 T45
64 Stormer
84 Starstreak SP HVM
We are hardly defenceless
how many work, how many are depolyed which one can shoot down balistic missiles. one skysabre is at the rsa/one in the Faulklands/one in cyprus. 4 left for the entire UK, they short/meduim range,
We have just 9 iLaunchers currently for SkySaber with only 6 more on order, as of right now we have 2 batteries stood up with only 4 launchers available to each meaningeach fire group has 16 shots, at least 2 iLaunchers are also in the Falklands likely why we have been so slow to deploy the system.
We likely have around 48 HVM Stormer in active service. Not entirely sure what you mean by SP StarStreak but we have 16 triple launchers and possibly in the hundreds of MANPADS.
Only the HMA2 WildCats are Martlet capable. Around 28 IIRC. Still a phenomenal and unique platform however.
It is unknown if Rapid Sentry uses the SAAB 1X’s we bought as they haven’t been seen in any of the published media around the system, its only speculation. Considering the size of the RAF Reg 11 full systems would be a serious chunk of manpower.
A number of the 1X radars went to the RA and have been pictured in Saudi with the Stormer fire group out there. Its range outstrips LMM so doubt it’s a one to one system, especially as its static.
Stormer must be on its last legs by now. Think 53 was announced recently but that will include the troop recce and training variants with no launchers on.
LML shared between the RM and RA, the firing unit is the same between the post and shoulder variants, don’t think the UK has other MANPADS?
For clarity on MANPADS I’m referring to singular Starstreak/LMM missile launchers. For the sake of being pedantic it is believed UKSF has access to Stinger also.
On the plus side rapid sentry is a proven capability alongside the experienced gained by the RAF Reg.
We’re great at defending point targets.
The wider population or a theatre of war, however…
Problem with listing all that is that it ignores the vulnerabilities and the numbers.
Nobody derides the quality, just the numbers.
Lets look at your list.
Sky Sabre is reportedly so short supply half the Regiment isn’t equipped. We’ve discussed the discrepancies between “system” and “launcher” here before, which MoD refuse to clear up.
Secondly, they’re for the Field Army, which has been pointed out repeatedly. Lets say 3 Division deploy in the next fortnight, where is their allocated assets from 12 and 16RA? In the flipping gulf. Two or three places at once, robbing Peter to pay Paul, as usual.
And incase of an attack on the UK, again, where do we send them, they’re for the Army!
Typhoon, great asset, stretched, and being used vs Drones.
A great financial and technical exchange rate there.
F35, likewise, 6 of them.
Rapid Sentry, 1 Squadron of them. One….how many RAF Stations can 11 launchers cover? They’re now in the Gulf, Cyprus, Iraq, and Kuwait, Thorney Island must be empty!
Stormer is falling to pieces, it’s due to be replaced, and it’s not about Stormer, but the weapon it carries. Like Sabre, it provides SHORAD for the Field Army, so deployed Army Brigades.
Where are they in the M East?
What covers them if 3 Division deploys?
Nothing, or next to nothing. There are 4 Batteries of Stormer and 1 of LMM in 12RA. How many are fit to deploy?
Wildcat and Martlet, yep, great assst. The RAF needs the RN to defend it
Crowsnest likewise, a solitary cab.
T45, you don’t need reminding how many of those we have spare. In an all out attack on the UK how many would be used for defence of the homeland vs blue water AD ops.
And if this goes on for months, what replaces these deployed assets?
Crowsnest a first class AEW solution? You’re deluded.
And yet we have no air defence for ourselves 🙄
Clearly we do as less than 10% of what we have has been sent to the gulf and that’s quite a lot.
10 %, are those your own numbers or a rose tinted press release from the MOD, way more than 10% being used and 50% of type 45s do not work, There were 5 Sky Sabre sets, two are deplyed to the gulf one in the Faulklands, some more on order, happy to be corrected but i do not see it at 10% did Racheal Reeves do the maths?
Five sets? Are you kidding?
The RA has just two ‘fighting batteries’ of Sky Sabre, or about 6 deployable launchers.
its has so i was told 5 deployable units as in complete command, tracking, launchers. but more than one launcher per unit/set. i knw more were ordered but what was ordered is vague and not yet in service.
I recall 6 more launchers were ordered, or that was what was reported. As you say, no stories about deliveries yet.
6 launchers, is that deployable units or just six more launchers no command unit or tracker, the story was very vague. I had the idea it was launchers only not command and trackers, after all you can link launchers to together. It was an MOD press release that was made look like more than it was, to me a launcher is just that a missile container not an complete airdefence system.
Isn’t it two batteries, four fire groups, nine launchers? Still pathetic.
The United Kingdoms sky Sabre system comprises the following units
11 radars,
15 SAMOC ( command units)
21 launchers in inventory
People need to stop banging on about batteries
ok how many air defence syetems can all those make then ie what numbers are say one complete deployable unit? as that is were the confussion is, ie what is a complete unit made up of?.
They make 9 systems. 9 separately deployable systems which can each control anything from three to six launchers.
Each system has a single radar and there are two spare that were also used for testing development so 11 radars. 9 systems, 7 available now rising to 9 soon.
Thank you glad some one cleared that up, that makes sense. One in the Falklands, one in Cyprus, one just deployed to a Gulf state, one at the RSA for trials, teaching etc. 3 left, upping to 5 later.
What’s your source for that?
The sources I’ve seen suggests just 6 launchers, with a planned uplift to 12.
Considering the MoD won’t reveal how many launchers are in inventory, nor clear up the deliberate obfuscation regards launcher and system in their terminology in press releases, that 21 launcher total excites me! 😆
I wish it were true, as 24 should be the number for 16ARA, in 4 Batteries each of 2 Fire Groups, so 6 launchers each Battery.
People do “go on” about Batteries, as they’re the building blocks that the Regiment and it’s FGs are taken from.
I thought around that, yes, even a look at Google in desperation confirms the confusion.
See numbers above
Where did they come from?
The UK has 9 launcher vehicles with 6 more on order. Total radar fleet is 10, shared between Sky Sabre and LEAPP.
We can not protect the UK, we do not have the kit even if all forever broken TYPE 45’s were working, we could not deply what remains of thour Army as we do not have enough air defence left in the UK, i think some on here are wearing rose tinted glasses
What are we defending the UK from? What weapons do you think that Russia has that can reach us?
Avangard, Oreshnik, R29 Vysota, Shtil,RS-24 YAR, RS26, SS-20, RS-28, SS-25, SS-27,SS-27.
FYI some of those are duplicates (Eg SS-27 is RS-24) and some (eg SS-20) are long out of service.
Yes, Russian has many ICBM’s that can reach us, no air defence in the world is capable of defending against such systems. That’s why for the past 50 years we keep 16 ballistic missiles hidden in the Atlantic at all times.
But if we are talking cruise missiles and drones then they probably have nothing as there submarines can’t get past the bear gap without a tail and the few bombers they have left can’t get past Norway without being intercepted.
Despite reports on the internet HMG is not daft and the UK is not undefended because it is not covered in air defences.
The best air defence for the UK is Typhoon supported by Voyager and E7 and Type 23, Astute supported by P8. Keeping Russian aircraft and submarines out of launch range.
Oreshnik is very good at putting holes in roofs but not much else. Conventional Russia MRBM’s are best defended against by aircraft shelters not missiles.
All UK air bases have hardened aircraft shelters for fast jets but admittedly large aircraft like Voyager, P8 and E7 are often left outside and that’s a limitation that needs to be dealt with.
However if Russia was to fire an MRBM at the UK there is every chance we woukd fire back a Trident II missile. That deterrent is how we defend against ballistic missiles.
We do also have a NATO AEGIS ashore system in Poland that can and will intercept any MMRB fired by Russia at the UK and we will soon have some coverage from German Arrow 3 batteries and it’s likely in a shooting war with Russia we will have several T45 active off the UK coast.
I would love us to have more and a full ABM system like SAMP/T with a UK based exoatmospheric system like Arrow 3 as well but again we are not defenceless. AEGIS ashore based in Poland is the very best location and system available and we have that in place today and it’s paid for and controlled by NATO (not the US)
We have no E7s yet and look at history a bomber or attack aircraft always get through. History proves that, abdxany one who thinks that their Air Fence is 100% is clearly not in the real world.
America did nit armour carrier decks because they were all about attack not defence, no matter what throw up some thing always gets through.
You can say what you want no airdefence is air tight and yes as a nation compared to many others we have no long range GBAD, and limited medium range GBAD. That is before you ask how many missiles we stock as we tight arsed and hate spending money so limited Ammo would also be a factor. We can agree to disagree
So SS-27 mod1 is RS-24? Agreed SS-20 is old and likely not in service but that just missiles not air launched cruse missile or hyper sonic missiles, What would defend our selves with against them? Sky Sabre may take out cruse missile but not balistic or hyper sonic and its pretty snort range. My point was on paper we have GBAD more than we really can ever deploy or supply ammo for.
Stating numbers held means nothing, we have 13 escort ships but less 5 can be deployed.
We have AEGIS ashore and SM3 for ballistic missiles as well.
Others have that but not us, we do have ballistic tracking stations but no defence against any.
Thanks Jim for putting a positive picture, which sounds plausible… so many numbers banded about on here… I end up believing that 97.63% of statistics are made up on the spot. The trouble is that if you say numbers with confidence it sounds like you have the facts.. but I do wish people would give their sources. I will believe a reliable source, but not an opinion.
Your so wrong it’s 96.674% of all data being made up.
Would the UK look at upgrading its SkySabre CAMM to CAMM-ER for an extra 25km+ of range out to 45km+? From what Brazil recently ordered the CAMM-ER truck lancher looks exactly the same but with a different radar unit. Or have both CAMM types? Could the current radar system handle both?
Hope with all these deployments and if all thevtech goes well that the UK might some further orders for its systems. And a navalised Raid Sentry could be made into a UK RAM of sorts?
*Rapid Sentry