BRITAIN is withdrawing its air defences from Nato’s eastern frontier – amid warnings we need more at home.
Sky Sabre rockets and radars have been shielding Poland for two and a half years.
It comes amid warnings the UK is “woefully exposed” due to lack of an Israel-style Iron Dome.
In March 2022, Royal Artillery gunners were sent to Rzeszow airport in Poland, which is located just 40 miles from the Ukraine border. Their mission is to safeguard the deliveries of troops and weapons.
Their radars – known as Giraffes – have a range of 300 miles and tracked thousands of Russian missiles and drones blasting western Ukraine.
These gunners are equipped with systems that can intercept jets and cruise missiles. They have the capability to launch up to 24 missiles simultaneously at 24 different targets in order to defend against what is known as a “saturation attack.”
But they can’t stop ballistic missiles like the Oreshnik Russia blasted at Ukraine last month.
Gunners deployed their remaining Giraffe radars to protect US Air Force bases last month from a spate of illegal drone flights.
The UK relies on its Royal Navy destroyers to intercept ballistic missiles with devastating Sea Viper missiles.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has stated that the Sky Sabre system will be brought back to the UK for future use. This move will ensure that the UK Armed Forces have the flexibility to meet operational needs, including the training of additional personnel.
Norway has deployed its F-35 jets and Nasam air defence missiles to replace the Sky Sabre systems.
And Poland has ordered 1000 air defence missile launchers and more than 100 launchers as part of a £4bn deal with the UK.
Warsaw has ramped up defence spending to 4.7 per cent.
But Labour has failed to say when it will meet its election promise of spending 2.5 per cent on defence.
