Aug 22, 2025
2 min read
The UK is reinforcing its air defences with six new Land Ceptor systems from European firm MBDA, to be delivered over three years. The systems will form part of Sky Sabre, a system capable of intercepting cruise missiles, aircraft and drones, the Ministry of Defence said.
“It is hugely accurate, able to hit a tennis-ball sized object travelling twice the speed of sound. The sophisticated system can also simultaneously control the flight of 24 missiles, guiding them each to intercept separate targets at once,” MOD said in an August 22 post.
MBDA describes the missile system as a "rapidly deployable point and area defence system to protect mobile and static high value assets using the COMMON ANTI-AIR MODULAR MISSILE (CAMM). It is capable of operating as a standalone unit or integrated within a battlespace network. The design of the system includes interoperability to support an integrated, layered air defence structure..."
The UK is delivering on June 2025’s Strategic Defence Review by equipping the Armed Forces to be “dramatically more lethal, combining more people and armoured capability with air defence, communications, AI, software, long-range weapons, and land drone swarm,” said MOD: “The additional Sky Sabre purchase comes on top of the up to £1 billion of new funding committed in the SDR for increased homeland air and missile defence.”
See also: UK seeks LSI for Land GBAD upgrade
“Sky Sabre was recently successfully tested in the QinetiQ-run range in Outer Hebrides as part of Exercise Formidable Shield,” MoD noted: “The NATO exercise saw the first live firing of the system in the UK. British Armed Forces have also deployed Sky Sabre in Poland as part of Operation Stifftail, strengthening the defence of NATO’s eastern flank…”
The contract comes as European and US defence leaders continue to deliberate on what security guarantees they can offer Ukraine if a peace deal is agreed with its invader, Russia, under a so-called “Coalition of the Willing” (including France, Germany, and the UK), the leaders of which met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in a closed room meeting on August 17. The UK and France are reportedly prepared to station troops and military systems in Ukraine if the US supports with intelligence and potentially air defence.
MBDA said: "There is an urgent need for increased defence capabilities and MBDA has taken decisive action to ramp up production. By the end of 2025, the Group will have doubled missile production compared to 2023."