Britannia Shield: Inside the £10bn Plan for a UK Missile and Drone Defence
The Conservatives plan to build a £10bn air and missile defence system for Britain, modelled on Israel's Iron Dome. The Guardian
The system is called Britannia Shield. Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge will present the proposal at the Conservative conference on Tuesday.
The party describes it as an anti-missile and drone defence system. The Telegraph It is designed to protect the UK and its sovereign territories, according to the party. Manchester Evening News Protection would also cover British military bases. Evening Standard
The plan has three main parts. New advanced radar systems to spot incoming threats. A new command and control system to track threats and direct a response. And a new stockpile of interceptor missiles and counter-drone weapons. Think of it as a sensor, a control room and the tools to stop what is found.
The £10bn cost would be paid from the Conservatives' pledge to raise defence spending by more than £10bn a year, to reach 3% of GDP by 2030. GDP is a standard measure of the size of the economy.
Delivery would happen in stages over ten years. The aim is a minimum deployable capability, meaning a basic working version that can be used, within the first five years. Expanded coverage and larger missile stockpiles would follow in the next five years.
The proposal would sit alongside current government plans for integrated air and missile defence, known as IAMD. IAMD means linking different sensors and weapons into one system. The government has committed about £790m for IAMD in the Defence Investment Plan. The UK does not own any Patriot air defence systems, the US-made long-range interceptors used by several allies.
The broader context here is about scale and choices. A shield for the homeland, overseas territories and bases needs more than one type of weapon. Planners would have to decide what gets built first, how the parts work together, and where constant protection is practical within a fixed budget.
