Defence experts warn UK unable to defend Israel from Iranian missile threats

Defence experts have voiced concerns about Britain's Armed Force's inability to defend Israel from Iranian ballistic missile attacks. They have highlighted that RAF Typhoon jets lack the necessary weapons to intercept missiles and attacks like the one launched by Tehran on Tuesday (Oct 1). Despite recent upgrades, the UK has been relegated to a supporting role in response to Iranian aggression; they say.

Underfunding to blame?

Former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace, according to the Telegraph, said that the Type-45 anti-missile destroyers would struggle. He also said that the Royal Navy's carrier strike groups do not have enough sailors to operate effectively in the war zone.

According to retired navy commander Tom Sharpe, "Our involvement [in the response to Iran] was underwhelming, and it's a reflection of 40 years of underfunding."

"Given what is going on in the Middle East and Russia, we need to expedite our ability to provide ballistic missile defence from our T45 destroyers."

The situation has underscored concerns about years of underfunding in the UK's military, which experts argue has diminished the country's global defence capabilities.

However, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Wednesday maintained that the armed forces remain ready and capable of shooting down cruise missiles and drones, but experts warn that on Tuesday they struggled to shoot down more advanced ballistic missiles.

Iran has built a significant stockpile of ballistic missiles, and its recent attacks on Israel have demonstrated the complexity of defending against these advanced weapons. While the US deployed advanced interceptors from its Navy to protect Israel, the UK was limited to monitoring and support roles during the latest Iranian missile barrage.

This has led to calls from former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace and other experts for faster upgrades to the UK's missile defence systems and better equipping of its fighter jets, such as the F-35, which remains under-equipped due to delays in the US.

"Britain could have the capability to have a Type 45 permanently guarding our shores equipped with the upgraded Aster 30," said Sir Ben.

"We should with immediate effect seek to accelerate the already planned upgrade of their missile systems in light of what we are seeing in the Middle East," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)