The UK Ministry of Defense is looking for air defense systems that can protect critical infrastructure.

This became known during parliamentary sessions.

As part of strengthening its air defense systems, the UK Ministry of Defense is considering purchasing air defense systems developed and manufactured in the UK.

Also, according to Luke Pollard, the UK is simultaneously exploring the STORM program, which aims to develop a missile defense system for the United Kingdom.

“The Ministry of Defense is reviewing its air defense capabilities and contribution to wider national defense as part of the Strategic Defense Review (SDR) and is working closely with other government departments to help design the future system,” Pollard said.

He also noted that the UK already had systems that could protect the country from massive drone and cruise missile attacks, but noted that these means were not enough to protect critical infrastructure from ballistic missiles.

“The UK currently has a wide range of capabilities to counter the air and missile threat we face. This includes, but is not limited to, Typhoon aircraft on rapid response readiness, Type 45 destroyers, short and medium range ground-based air defenses and numerous critical elements,” he added.

Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the UK Ministry of Defense has been closely monitoring events in Ukraine and trying to prepare its Armed Forces for new threats.

Since the state is located on an island, air defense systems are a priority for development to ensure security.

In addition, as part of the STORM program, the government is also looking for systems capable of intercepting intermediate-range ballistic missiles. The first step was to purchase European Aster 30 Block 1 NT missiles to arm Type 45 missile destroyers.

The next step is to search for ground-based systems that are functionally similar to the US Aegis Ashore to ensure the territory is constantly protected from such threats.

Militarnyi previously reported that the British army had used laser weapons on the Wolfhound armored vehicle for the first time.