Recommendation 20

HM Government Acknowledged

This area is indeed one of Defence’s top priorities. One of the Army’s four prioritised ‘sunrise capabilities,’ the Category ‘A’ Land Ground-Based Air Defence (GBAD) Programme comprises Short-Range Air Defence (SHORAD), including Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS), Medium-Range Air Defence (MRAD), and GBAD Fire Control Systems (FCS). The Programme will deliver a system of survivable, layered, and digitally connected platforms that will enable the Land Environment to Protect, Engage, Constrain, and Fight, as part of the UK’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD), granting surface freedom of action from the tactical to the operational level. Land GBAD Specialist GBAD capabilities will be complemented by generalist capabilities to counter threats from increasingly prevalent small Unmanned Air Systems (UAS). The Counter-Small- UAS project adds mass to UK’s short and medium range air defences from 2023, with soldier-borne and mobile systems. All components of the GBAD system will be capable of evolving to keep pace with rapidly developing threat technologies. The LDFP includes Deep Fires Rocket System (DFRS) and associated munitions. It will transform land deep surface-to-surface fires capability; exploit the benefits of Defence digitalisation and investment in longer range missiles to enhance the UK’s pan-domain deep effects capability; modernise and enhance the joint force; reinforce collaboration and interoperability with the US and key allies; and offer UK prosperity opportunities. As well as being capable of firing current and future MLRS munitions, a modernised DFRS will have the required mobility, reaction time, and protection to survive against a peer enemy and help win the joint deep battle. The UK has recently signed two contracts with the US DoD to recapitalise our common MLRS platforms (IOC 2026) and collaborate on the development of the Guided MLRS-Extended Range missile and subsequent warhead spiral development (Initial Operating Concept 2025). The Close Support Fires Programme (CSFP) includes the Mobile Fires Platform (MFP) and the Tactical Guided Munition Indirect (TGMI). It will transform the close surface-to- surface fires capability of the Army, providing cost effective and near precision fires out to over 40km. CSFP will be a critical component of non-discretionary joint forces capability and a modernised Army, supporting both the Heavy Brigade Combat Teams and the wider Division. MFP and TGMI will future-proof our indirect fires capability, ensuring it is organised to operate and designed to fight. With enhanced mobility, accuracy and automation, MFP will have utility across the Integrated Operating Concept framework, and across the spectrum of deployments from small numbers on discrete operations to the generation of the warfighting capability required for high intensity operations. MFP and TGMI will complement Deep Fires, reaching out to the MLRS minimum effective planning range of 40km, and providing a critical element of the ‘any sensor, any effector’ vision. Further ammunition projects will facilitate ever greater utility for MFP by increasing the range, anti-armour capability and through the introduction of novel effectors, ensuring the capability is ‘future-proofed’ to outmatch the threat and keep pace with our closest allies. The CSFP aims to exploit platform commonality and opportunities for collaboration with our closest allies to efficiently deliver capability.