Source · Select Committees · Defence Committee
Recommendation 23
23
Paragraph: 90
The lack of a credible short-range air defence system for our land forces, especially in...
Conclusion
The lack of a credible short-range air defence system for our land forces, especially in light of the rapidly increasing threat from unmanned aerial vehicles, is of particular concern. We have already noted in Chapter 3 that the Army is also overmatched in terms the artillery firepower available to our likeliest peer adversary and lacks the ability to fire anti-tank missiles from under armour. The Ministry of Defence must ensure that these capability gaps are filled as a matter of urgency.
Paragraph Reference:
90
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
There is an acknowledged pressing need for Defence to address GBAD. The Land GBAD Programme will deliver both SHORAD/MRAD capabilities from 2026, for which funding profiles are in place. Regarding the threat from Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), in the short term the RAF has a Counter-small UAS operational concept demonstrator (SYNERGIA) for the protection of static locations, and the Army has a similarly static capability deployed overseas as an Urgent Capability Requirement. The Army’s intent, through the Land GBAD Programme, is to bring into service a core Counter-small UAS capability for deployment with dismounted Very High Readiness manoeuvre units in 2023. The Army does have an excellent dismounted Anti-Tank capability, but the ability to fire Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGMs) from under armour is being addressed through the Battle Group Organic Anti-Armour (BGOAA) programme. Present technologies do not allow AFVs to launch ‘fire and forget’ ATGMs on the move, requiring the firing platform to remain static, making it vulnerable.