Britain has a 'gaping gap' in its defences that Putin could seize upon

Britain is dangerously exposed to the potential of a surprise Russian missile and drone onslaught, a former government minister tonight warned.

Mark Francois said the nation had a ‘gaping gap’ in its air defence, which he feared could be exploited by Putin whenever he wants, should the Russian despot seek to enter a ‘shooting war’ with Britain.

The former Armed Forces Minister claimed the Russian tyrant could take advantage in the delay in the RAF’s new £1.9billion ‘eyes in the sky’ surveillance plane, the E-7 Wedgetail, by attacking from the north.

Speaking at an event in Westminster, the Tory MP warned the Kremlin could launch a squadron of strategic bombers from Murmansk, that could fly over the Norwegian Sea to the north Atlantic, before launching a cruise missile strike ‘from behind’.

Among the jets that could be sent in such an aerial ambush could include Russia’s supersonic apocalypse bomber, the Tu-160, which can carry cruise missiles and strategic nuclear weapons.

Pictured is how Russia could potentially take advantage of an alleged ‘gap’ in Britain’s air defences

A pair of Tu-160M strategic missile carriers could be among the aerial assault wave that could potentially be used to attack Britain

The supersonic Tu-160M can be armed with cruise missiles and strategic nuclear weapons

Mr Francois feared the UK’s current defences, which includes RAF Typhoon jets, six of the Royal Navy Type 45 destroyers and the British Army’s new Sky Sabre missile system – as well as Nato systems in Europe – would struggle to respond in time.

‘If we lost all of our fixed radar sites along the east coast, which realistically in a shooting war would fall victim to Russian cruise missiles in 24 hours, we would be virtually blinded,’ Mr Francois told a panel of defence experts at think-tank, Civitas.

‘Assuming we get into a shooting war with Russia, if they were to fire missiles at us from across the Baltic Sea, there are a number of Nato assets that we could call on to intercept those cruise missiles.

‘However, if they were to come around the northern cape [of Norway] and then launch multiple cruise missile strikes from the north – or as it were, coming around the back door from Ireland – those Nato assets, including the ones in Poland, could not intercede.’

He added: ‘We have very few assets at all that could intercept cruise missiles. You might be able to do it with a Typhoon armed with certain missiles – but it’s a risky business.’

The alarming hole comes amid a delay in the RAF’s new airborne early warning system.

The first of three E-7 Wedgetail aircraft was due to be delivered by the end of last year under a £1.9billion contract signed in 2018, replacing older E-3 Sentry models that were mothballed in 2021.

The first of three E-7 Wedgetail aircraft (Australian plane pictured in 2022 on an exercise with US fighters and bombers) was due to be delivered by the end of last year under a £1.9billion contract signed in 2018, replacing older and larger E-3 Sentry models (below) that were mothballed in 2021.

But late last year it was revealed that delivery was being delayed until the second half of 2024. It means the UK is reliant on Nato allies for airborne early warning for three years until the first unit arrives, instead of two.

And tonight, Mr Francois claimed the delayed jets were now unlikely to enter service for ‘at least another two years’, leaving Britain with a ‘gaping’ hole in its aerial shield.

He added: ‘Given the events in the Middle East, the UK has no Iron Dome system. Why not? We have a very limited capability against incoming missiles in the UK, and if you believe that as I do that the first duty of a country is the defence of the realm, we have a gaping gap.

Mark Francois (pictured), has raised his concerns over a ‘gap’ in Britain’s air defences, which he fears could be seized upon by Putin

‘And with Wedgetail being delayed, it just makes that gap even worse. This is something fundamentally we need to fix.’

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: ‘The UK is well prepared for any event and defence of the UK would be taken alongside our NATO allies.’

The warning comes as Britain faced continued calls to create its own ‘Iron Dome’ defence system after Iran’s attacks on Israel represented a ‘wake up call’ to the West.

Tobias Ellwood, a former chairman of the Commons defence committee said the UK needs a ‘permanent umbrella of security’ due to the evolving nature of modern warfare.

There is rising concern, especially considering the levels of current conflict, that although the UK has a strong air defence strategy, the country lacks land-based systems to defend London or its nuclear plants.

Over the weekend, Iran fired more than 300 drones and ballistic missiles into Israel – and all but a few were intercepted by the country’s Iron Dome defence system.

The impressive system works to detect incoming rockets, before determining it’s path and blasting them out of the sky before they cause any destruction on land.

Of the barrage of projectiles fired on Saturday night, at least five ballistic missiles were not intercepted and managed to slip through the defences.

Senior UK defence officials have said the UK needs its own ‘Iron Dome’ to boost its defence following a wake-up call after Iran’s attacks on Israel over the weekend

The Jewish state has at least 10 missile batteries capable of intercepting enemy rockets and missiles scattered across the country

Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip in January

Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system has been dubbed one of the best in the world, and according to its developer Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, is ’90 per cent effective’.

READ MORE: What is Israel’s Iron Dome defence system used against Iran’s drone and missile strikes and how does it work?

The three-part, multi-billion pound Iron Dome system, developed by Israel with US backing after the 2006 Lebanon War, has been crucial in defending Israeli cities for over a decade and is credited with preventing serious damage or casualties.

Similar tactics have also been used by Russia to blast Ukraine’s flurry of Western and Soviet-era surface-to-air systems.

The Jewish state has at least 10 missile batteries capable of intercepting enemy rockets and missiles scattered across the country.

The device is made up of three main sections: a radar detection system, a computer to calculate the incoming rocket’s trajectory, and a launcher that fires interceptors if the rocket is deemed likely to hit a built-up or strategic area.

Each Iron Dome battery consists of three to four launchers that can each carry up to 20 Tamir interceptor missiles.

We need to prepare for a multitude of types of attack from the non-state to state actors. And that will require investments, absolutely, in an Iron Dome for the UK,’ Ellwood told The Telegraph.

He warned that the country must quickly realise where the world is headed and suggested that spending three per cent of GDP – just over £68billion – on an Iron Dome would be a sensible idea.

Britain currently relies on a sophisticated, multi-layered approach to its air defences, with Typhoon fighter jets (pictured) and Type-45 destroyers acting as the main anti-missile firepower

Type-45 destroyers are another one of the UKs strongest anti-missile systems

Sky Sabre is an air defence missile system comprising of three separate components: its radar, its command and control and its missiles

The Iron Dome batteries can neutralise threats launched from up to 43 miles away, while at the same time ignoring projectiles that are projected to strike unpopulated areas.

READ HERE: Israel’s multilayered air-defense system that protected it from 99% of Iran’s drone and missile strikes

The 10 Iron Domes placed throughout the country are able to defend up to nearly 60 square miles of land – protecting countless civilians and critical infrastructure.

However, it was today claimed that Downing Street had ‘rebuffed’ a request by the MoD for funding to set up a similar system, a veteran MP revealed.

Mark Francois, the former armed forces minister who sits on parliament’s Defence Committee, told MailOnline: ‘We have nothing remotely comparable to the very comprehensive Israeli Iron Dome system, bar a very few missies, with only limited range.

‘On the Defence Committee, we recently heard public evidence that the MoD went to No. 10 and specifically asked for funding for a wider air defence system – but were refused.

‘Given the attempted ‘swarm’ attack on Israel, that now looks like an extremely poor decision.’

Britain currently relies on a sophisticated, multi-layered approach to its air defences, with Typhoon fighter jets and Type-45 destroyers acting as the main anti-missile firepower.

The British military can monitor ballistic missiles launched from Russia at the RAF radar base at Fylindales, North Yorkshire.

However, munitions fired from the Middle East, are more likely to be tracked by NATO-accessed radars based in Turkey, Qatar, and Israel.

It is likely that in the situation of a missile heading towards the UK, it will be intercepted by air defence systems based across NATO allies before they have the chance to hit the country.

But in the event that a projectile makes it through the system, Typhoons can be quickly scrambled to tackle the missile.

In the wake of the current conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, Justin Crump, CEO of geopolitical risk firm Sibylline, warned that air and missile defence has been  ‘lower priority’.

‘You rarely get the war you planned or hoped for, and in an increasingly turbulent world contingencies have to be in place,’ he told the newspaper.

The UK has only one medium-range, ground-based air defence system – Sky Sabre.

According to the Army website, the system ‘can control the flight of 24 missiles simultaneously whilst in flight, guiding them to intercept 24 separate targets’.

But it is unclear how many of the £250milllion systems the UK has, with one deployed in the Falklands and another in Poland.

Along with the UK, several other countries have also expressed interest in buying Iron Dome systems in recent years, including Germany, Romania and India.

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