The UK is deploying a ground based air defence system to Poland along with 100 troops. The deployment will help shore up NATO’s eastern flank bordering Russia in a defensive measure as Moscow entered its fourth week of the invasion into Ukraine. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace announced the deployment of the Sky Sabre missile system while on a trip to Warsaw to meet his Polish counterpart on Thursday. NATO countries – including the UK and Poland – are sending a clear message of unity to Russia. UK Ministry of Defence are going to deploy the Sky Sabre medium-range anti-air missile system to Poland with about 100 personnel to make sure that we stand alongside Poland, protecting her airspace from any further aggression by Russia. The missile system “will remain under UK control at all times. The 100 troops will be deployed on a short-term basis and will be kept under review.
Sky Sabre will be able to hit a tennis ball-sized object travelling at the speed of sound. It supersedes the ageing Rapier Short Range Air Defence system used by the British Army. Sky Sabre has three key components expected to operate up to 15km apart in the battlespace consists of Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM), a SAAB Giraffe Agile Multi Beam 3D medium-range surveillance radar, a Rafael command system, all mounted on MAN trucks. For international customers, MBDA markets the Enhanced Modular Air Defence Solutions (EMADS). The EMADS system incorporates advanced technologies to protect against all known and projected air threats. It was designed for interoperability with existing and also future ground-based air defense C2 systems.
The Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM) is a family of surface-to-air missiles developed by MBDA UK for the United Kingdom. CAMM shares some common features and components with the ASRAAM air-to-air missile, but with updated electronics and an active radar homing seeker. They can reach speeds of 2,300mph eliminating fighter aircraft, drones and even laser-guided smart bombs. Eight missiles are mounted on the launcher, which fire in a unique multi-directional manner. CAMM has a minimum operational range of less than 1 km and a maximum range greater than 25 km, although that trials have a shown a capability of up to 60 km. These ranges are significantly greater than the 1–10 km range of Sea Wolf and other systems CAMM will replace. CAMM weighs 99 kilograms (218 lb), is 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in) in length, 166 millimetres (6.5 in) diameter and reaches generous supersonic speeds of Mach 3 (or 1,020 meters per second).
British Army 16 Regiment Royal Artillery is now accepting into service the first tranche of Sky Sabre and further procurements will be configured to operate in all parts of the globe. 16 Regiment Royal Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Regiment of Artillery in the British Army. It currently serves in the air defence role, and is equipped with the Rapier FSC Short Range Air Defence (SHORAD) missile system and the Land Environment Air Picture Provision (LEAPP) system. One of its Rapier Batteries is always deployed to the Falkland Islands. It also provides a Land Environment Air Picture Provision capability to land formation HQs which provides a local Recognised Air Picture. As of 2021, the Sky Sabre air defence missile system had started to replace Rapier.
British Army 16 Regiment Royal Artillery Sky Sabre Air Defence Missile System
