A Conservative government would spend £10 billion over ten years on an integrated air and missile defence system for the United Kingdom, built to stop drones and long-range missiles reaching British soil, according to the party.
James Cartlidge, the Shadow Defence Secretary, announced the plan in his speech to the Conservative conference in Birmingham on Tuesday, giving it the name Britannia Shield and describing it as the most significant upgrade to British air defence for generations.
He said: “It’s called Britannia Shield, a fully integrated, multi-layered missile defence system, capable of protecting our nation from drone and missile attack. With a ten-billion-pound budget, this would be one of Britain’s most significant military programmes since the cold war.
“But one that is totally necessary because of the threats we face. And only possible because of our willingness to take the tough decisions to fund defence.”
The system is structured around three functions the party calls sense, decide and effect. Sensing means new advanced radars, which Mr Cartlidge said would be movable around the country to improve their survivability and coverage. Deciding means upgrades to command and control systems so that information from across British defences can be pulled together and a response chosen quickly. The effect is interception, and the party says the largest share of the money would go on deep stockpiles of interceptor missiles alongside counter-drone capabilities.
The money works out at around £1 billion a year added to the Defence Investment Plan for integrated air and missile defence. The Conservatives say a minimum deployable capability would be delivered within a first term, and the remaining investment would expand the system over the following five years, and that construction would begin on day one in office without waiting for a defence review.
Kemi Badenoch, the party leader, said: “If a missile or drone is launched at Britain, we do not get a second chance to wish we had prepared.
“Britannia Shield will invest £10 billion in the radar, missiles and technology needed to detect these threats and stop them before they reach British soil. This is what a strong govt is meant to focus on. Families can make their own choices. Businesses can build and innovate. But only government can defend the country.”
The spending is to come from the party’s commitment to reach three per cent of GDP on defence by 2030, which it says would provide more than £10 billion a year above the government’s plans and would be funded by welfare reform and reprioritising existing expenditure. Britannia Shield would account for roughly a tenth of that additional money.
The Conservatives set the announcement against what they say is a far smaller government commitment, putting new funding for missile defence in Labour’s Defence Investment Plan at £790 million over ten years. That figure is the party’s own reading of the plan, and the government has not responded to the announcement.
Mr Cartlidge also drew a comparison with the Second World War, invoking Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding and the radar system built in the 1930s. “Dowding didn’t wait for the Messerschmitts to start flying over Kent, he developed his world leading radar system in the 1930s,” he said. “He took the threat seriously. And we were ready when it came. And we will be ready too.”
He argued the programme is about deterrence as much as defence, since an adversary who knows Britain can defend itself and preserve its ability to retaliate is less likely to attack in the first place. A Shahed drone, built in Iran, launched by Russia against Ukraine and brought down by Ukrainian forces, was suspended above the conference hall during the speech.
Of course I welcome any pledge from the Tories to enhance our capabilities. But the Tories have a long history of using rhetoric that appeals to their voter base, but unable or unwilling to implement it in government because the Wets in the party won’t let them. I doubt half the stuff Kemi announces will ever see the light of day even if she becomes PM.
Nice to hear all this talk about a UK GBAD shield for the future but hopefully it’ll make Labour do more on it right now. You only have to look at Ukraine and in the Gulf for the consequences of not having enough of one. Missile/gun stocks can be a shared inventory pool across the forces. CAMM, Sky/Star-Hammer all good, what about CAMM-ER/MR, NASAM’s, SAMP/T Aster, and various 30/40mm all available now, maybe not CAMM-MR?
I’m afraid I’ve lost confidence in Labour. They clearly were not willing to fund DiP and Healey has changed tune since becoming Chancellor, hopefully he’ll surprise me at the budget.
In addition to more CAMM my preference would be a licenced build of Aster 30’s in the UK and buy a bunch of SAMP/T batteries, providing common missile stick piles between the Army and RN.
What angered me about this announcement was in place of any real content the emphasis of it was the stupid Britannia Shield name, the nebulous links to Iron Dome blah, blah, blah, clearly there to put ideas into minds that there us purpose behind the words rather than any sense of actual planned reality. Surprised we didn’t get silver shield to define it as a knocked down version of Trumps big Golden Dome. Fact is it isn’t some form of iron dome, which cost billions of US dollars and much US technology and simply wouldn’t work for Britain in both size, cost or the type of threat we face, so why mimic the concept other than to fool the viewer. What we need is air defence layered or otherwise covering vital infrastructure/locations that can take out ballistic missiles and drones for the most part and the sensors to enable it, action not words we have had too many of those for effect. But I guess simply speaking the functional truth isn’t sexy enough, fancy titles that have immediate impact, but little impact on future initiatives (if they even take place) are rather more useful to ‘here today gone tomorrow’ politicians clearly. Reminiscent of Starmer’s lust for project names over any actual spending money. Fact is most of what’s needed already exists or is in development like future versions of CAMM, actually buying it or even planning to is what’s missing. Maybe Invisible Dome should have been utilised to fully express the reality.
Spy in the sky- i agree about the majority of what you said but particularly licenced build of the aster 30s. I would much rather us buy SAMP-T batteries with 150km range buying from a company we partly own than looking at buying the more expensive American patriot system that is probably a better interceptor but much more expensive and a long waiting list with limited stocks
Realistically we would need several systems at least just to cover main military bases and London so it would be expensive but I think its the way tp go.
I think it’s pretty obvious the Tories read UKDJ comments section because this is very much along the lines of proposals made here after General Richard Barron’s ridiculous claim of needing £80 billion. 😀
The UK could use around 6 tethered aerostats to provide near continuous look down radar coverage of the entire British isles. That could be linked up with CAMM and CAMMM MR batteries to provide complete protection against low flying cruise missiles and large drones. Around 8 SAMP/T NG batteries can provide near complete coverage of the UK mainland from MRBM’s and a single arrow 3 battery paired with German’s system could provide exoatmospheric coverage from ICBM’s. You can do all that for £10 billion. We already have mid range interception from NATO SM3 systems in Poland and Romania.
£1 billion a year for such a system is nothing. The defence budget has already been increased by £26 billion a year between 2024 and 2029 so we are talking less than 4% of the increase in Defence spending to do this or 1.2% of the budget in 2029.
It really shows where the MoD priorities lie that we are not doing this. We still spend tens of billions on expeditionary war capabilities based around fighting Americas wars while allowing our own countries defences to be neglected under the presumption that America will have our back.
Meanwhile in the real world reports are Burnham is considering delaying defence spending! What war are we preparing for on behalf of the cousins?
Other than our commitment to NATO we aren’t/cant going anywhere!
Great take, winning the next election seems to be the sole purpose of these announcements from either side. Backing them up… well I will leave that to Yes Minister.
Unfortunately Jim, the increase in the defence budget is buying absolutely sod all, its simply paying down the huge defence budget deficit and slightly slowing the decline in our defence posture.
We need to be at 3.5% right now, thats whats needed, Burnham won’t do it, not now, not in 2035.
The Army even cancelled training packages because it doesn’t have the money for Christ’s sake, honestly its a pathetic state of affairs to be in.
If the NHS was funded so comparatively poorly, people would be dying on tne streets, but Joe public has no understanding or interest in our defence.
Maybe this is a bit bonkers but all the spare Artisan radars from the T23s, if they’re not going to be utilised on T26s or other ships (RFA/B2 Rivers?) could they potentially be adapted for use for GBAD station? Might save a few quid?
Thats a really interesting concept! I wonder what is happening with them? If they are being scrapped but still have life in them even a handful would be useful to place around some of our unprotected bases such as Porstmouth, Faslane, the two QRA bases, barrow ect.
Its not the best solution but it could be a cost effective quick fix
The UK has a long and sorry history of trying to build expensive military equipment like this. By the time the specification has been agreed by the defence procurement branch of the MoD, it will already be obsolete. Regardless, the committee responsible will press on to prevent their budget being returned to the Treasury.
By the time a tender has been produced requesting a response from industry, drone/missile designs will have moved on. Nevertheless, a contract will be signed. Not with BAE, however – Lockheed Martin, or Northrop Grumman or another foreign firm. Possibly German. But definitely not Ukrainian, the world leaders in this tech
Once the inevitable design delays have been overcome – possibly three years later – and tooling has been bought and manufacturing has commenced – they will make design changes in the light of new defence intelligence on ballistic missile warfare. This will introduce yet more delays
On past experience, Badenoch’s missile defence shield will come in years late, over budget (maybe £35 bn) and will be completely ineffective.
Regardless, those Latin speaking civil serpents responsible for yet another British defence procurement disaster will have moved on to the Treasury, where they will be promoted to a higher grade with a bigger pension. The MoD does not do accountability.
I won’t rule out the MoD or politicians messing it up, but everything exists to create GBAD fairly quickly. The biggest delay should be manufacturing, no need to design anything new.
…and that’s why in the real world leaders should not be inventing stupid and elaborate names, programmes and proposals that in reality can be achieved relatively quickly with present or soon to be available technology, if only the money could be found.
Nice to use Defence spending as a cover for a decade of more of austerity. Yet another party with no growth plan, fantasy unfunded spending, and a touch of racist tropes just bubbling below the surface to get the over 60’s voting.
Yeah like having a black female leader. Dead give away.
Maybe why Farage has an Asian sidekick to express most of the truly extreme views. Messing around with old stereotypes seem to throw much of the electorate off the scent.
Will it be British designed and built or like trident foreign owned and not able to work without America giving permission?
Jim has it. The tech exists. The will to spend doesn’t.
Re use T23 Artisan…don’t see why not, but they would have to be made either mobile or defended….and there would be the catch.
I could almost imaging a stone frigate setup with Artisan, an EOD or two and a pair of 30mm commandi g the plentiful camm batteries that go with it…or hey…put them on a new B3 river buy and bumble around the wind farms!
Nukes under American control….hmmm…
AA