Britain is buying new air defence missile systems - but can they protect us?

>Faced with a variety of new threats, the replacement for the ageing Rapier system includes the 100kg Land Ceptor missile, carrying a 10kg warhead and able to intercept threats out to around 15 miles.

>The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced it will buy £118m worth of air defence missile systems for the British Army.

>But will this new purchase protect an increasingly vulnerable UK from attack, and why now?

>For more than 50 years, the British Army relied on the Rapier air defence missile system to protect deployed forces.

>In 2021, that system was replaced by Sky Sabre.

>The new system is mobile, ground-based, and designed to counter various aerial threats, including fighter aircraft, attack helicopters, drones, and guided munitions.

>It's known for its speed, accuracy, and ability to integrate with other military assets, including those of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force (and NATO).

>What is the Land Ceptor missile, and why do we need more of them?

>Sky Sabre includes radar, command, and control capability and - most importantly - a missile to intercept incoming threats.

>The Land Ceptor missile weighs around 100kg, has a 10kg warhead, and can intercept threats out to around 15 miles (25km), making it around three times more effective than the Rapier system it replaced.

>When the MoD made the decision to replace the Rapier system, the global threat environment was very different to that experienced today.

>Since the end of the Cold War, the UK has been involved in expeditionary warfare - wars of choice - and generally against less capable adversaries.