The recent Iranian missile attack has exposed a significant weakness in the British military’s ability to protect “Israel” from Iranian ballistic missile strikes, according to defense experts.
The British newspaper The Telegraph cited experts stating that the Royal Air Force’s Typhoon jets lack the necessary weapons to repel an attack like the one launched by Iran on Tuesday. Iran fired approximately 200 long-range missiles in what has been described as its largest attack on “Israel” to date.
Sir Ben Wallace, the former defense minister, acknowledged that the British Type 45 anti-missile destroyers would also struggle to respond to such an attack. Sources suggested that the Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier groups lacked enough personnel to operate effectively in a war zone.
Experts fear that the UK’s military underinvestment could undermine its leadership role in global affairs, leaving the country vulnerable to threats. Retired naval commander Tom Sharpe commented, “Our participation in the response to Iran was disappointing, reflecting 40 years of underfunding.”
Sharpe continued, “Given the ongoing situations in the Middle East and Russia, we urgently need to accelerate our ability to provide ballistic missile defense from our Type 45 destroyers.”
On Wednesday, defense ministry sources confirmed that the British Armed Forces remain attentive to the evolving situation in the Middle East. Although not directly involved in Tuesday’s events, the sources insisted that Britain remains capable of intercepting ballistic missiles.
While the UK has proven its ability to intercept cruise missiles and drones — having done so during a previous Iranian attack on “Israel” in April — experts warn that dealing with more advanced ballistic missiles, like those used on Tuesday, presents a greater challenge.
These missiles initially rely on a booster rocket, making them faster, flying along an arched trajectory that can take them out of the atmosphere, which complicates interception efforts.
It is believed that Iran has invested heavily in its ballistic missile program over the past decade, amassing a stockpile of over 3,000 such weapons, according to US intelligence estimates.
On Tuesday, when Iran used ballistic missiles in its attack, none of the British Typhoon jets stationed at the Royal Air Force base in Akrotiri, Cyprus, managed to intercept any. Instead, Britain’s role was limited to monitoring the incoming weapons without engaging any targets, as confirmed by the Ministry of Defence.
The United States responded by deploying three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers near “Israel’s” coast, launching advanced interceptor missiles over land to help neutralize the Iranian threat.
The UK plans to make its Type 45 destroyers one of its primary defenses against ballistic missiles by equipping them with new Aster 30 interceptor weapons. These were approved by Sir Ben during his tenure as defense minister. However, these weapons have yet to be fully developed.
Sir Ben stated, “Britain could potentially have a Type 45 destroyer patrolling our shores permanently, equipped with upgraded Aster 30 missiles.” He emphasized the need to expedite the modernization process of their missile systems, considering current developments in the Middle East.
The UK maintains RAF forces and other military assets in the Middle East as part of Operation Shader, the campaign against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Following Hamas’ attacks on October 7 last year, additional British forces were deployed to the region.
In April, when Iran launched over 330 drones and missiles against “Israel,” the UK sent RAF jets and refueling aircraft to intercept many of the drones.
This raised questions about whether the UK would deploy more firepower to the region, including its £3 billion aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.
However, The Telegraph revealed that a shortage of sailors left the carrier unprepared for deployment in the Red Sea to assist in combating the Houthis, who had begun targeting commercial shipping routes following the Gaza war.
Sir Ben pointed to the F-35 jets, next-generation fighter planes launched from the aircraft carrier, as another example of Britain’s failure to fully develop its capabilities.
He explained, “Unfortunately, due to delays from the US Joint Program Office, the British F-35s don’t have access to the full range of weapons we’d like them to carry.” This limitation reduces their effectiveness, meaning the Typhoon jets based on land still offer the best offensive capabilities in the Gulf region. Without the appropriate missiles, however, the British planes are “useless.”
Sir Ben warned that the F-35s, like the Typhoons, currently carry Paveway bombs for targeting general objectives, which makes them “ineffective” in the Gulf conflict.
He concluded, “If the F-35s were properly equipped with the right missiles, they might be useful to deploy, but at the moment, they aren’t.”
Defense sources also cautioned that even if the Ministry of Defence wanted to send the aircraft carrier to the Gulf to support the US and “Israel,” they couldn’t due to a lack of sufficient personnel and active ships.
A source remarked, “It’s clear that the navy has been concealing a serious issue regarding sailor shortages… They don’t have enough people to operate the ships they already possess, let alone new ones.”
In April, the British Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond successfully intercepted a short-range ballistic missile aimed at a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden using the US Navy’s Sea Viper missile system.
However, Mr. Sharpe emphasized that this was a different scenario from the attack on Tuesday. “In April, it was over the Red Sea, which is entirely different from launching ballistic missiles from inland, through the sky, and over someone else’s country,” he explained.
“We’ve become somewhat fixated on drones and swarm attacks. Yet, if we look at the Red Sea, 94% of the attacks on ships have involved missiles.”
In April, “Israel” assassinated seven Iranian Revolutionary Guard officers in a raid on the Iranian consulate building in Damascus. This attack triggered Iran’s first missile strike on “Israel.”
