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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
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.
Source
Committee
Defence Committee
Report
Fifth report: Obsolescent and outgunned: the British Army’s armoured vehicle capability
14 Mar 2021
HC 659
Addressee Bodies
Ministry of Defence
Timeline
Recommendation age
5.2 yrs
Report published
14 Mar 2021