Flash News: UK Doubles Sky Sabre Air Defence With £118m Contract For Additional MBDA Land Ceptor Launchers.

On August 22, 2025, the UK Ministry of Defence announced the purchase of six Land Ceptor air defence launchers, a £118 million contract awarded to MBDA. As reported by the UK’s Ministry of Defence, the procurement is part of a wider plan to reinforce national security while supporting up to 140 jobs across the country. The decision reflects both the growing urgency to counter airborne threats such as cruise missiles and drones, and the government’s ambition to link defence investment to industrial growth under its Plan for Change. With tensions in Europe heightened by Russian military activities and the widespread use of drones in modern conflicts, the contract comes at a strategically significant moment for the British Armed Forces and NATO allies.
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The purchase of six additional Land Ceptor launchers marks a decisive step in modernising the UK’s ground-based air defence. By enhancing Sky Sabre’s scale and reach, London is ensuring protection of its forces and territory while reinforcing NATO’s eastern defences (Picture source: UK MoD)

The Land Ceptor system, also known as part of Sky Sabre, is a medium-range ground-based air defence capability designed to intercept fast jets, drones, and cruise missiles. It employs MBDA’s Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM), with a maximum range of 28 km, and its extended-range variant CAMM-ER, capable of reaching up to 45 km. Equipped with a 10 kg high-explosive fragmentation warhead triggered by a laser proximity fuze, the missile is guided by an active radar seeker. The system integrates a Saab Giraffe Agile Multi Beam (GAMB) 3D radar with a 120 km range and a Rafael SAMOC command-and-control centre. Highly accurate, it can guide up to 24 missiles simultaneously and has demonstrated the ability to strike objects the size of a tennis ball travelling at twice the speed of sound.

More recently, it was deployed to Poland under Operation Stifftail to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank. The development of the Land Ceptor stems from the wider Enhanced Modular Air Defence Solutions (EMADS) programme, designed to provide a flexible, interoperable and NATO-integrated air defence shield. Over time, the system has been refined to adapt to evolving threats, drawing lessons from legacy systems like Rapier, which it replaces, while incorporating cutting-edge radar, missile, and networked command technologies.

Compared to similar Western systems, Sky Sabre provides a middle ground between the American NASAMS and the Franco-Italian SAMP/T. While NASAMS offers greater range when integrated with AIM-120 missiles, Land Ceptor distinguishes itself with rapid deployment, high mobility, and modularity that allow it to operate standalone or within layered NATO defences. Its high interception accuracy also gives it an advantage in countering the growing threat of precision-guided munitions and low-signature drones. Unlike Rapier, which was limited in range and engagement capacity, Sky Sabre embodies a generational leap in British air defence.

Strategically, the doubling of deployable Sky Sabre units reflects the UK’s recognition of increasingly contested skies. Russia’s frequent use of cruise missiles launched from submarines and naval platforms, as seen in the war against Ukraine, underscores the necessity for modern and layered defences in Europe. By strengthening homeland protection while maintaining a deployable capability abroad, the UK reinforces its deterrence posture and ensures credible contributions to NATO’s integrated air and missile defence architecture. This investment also positions Britain as better prepared against hybrid threats that mix long-range missiles, drones, and electronic warfare.

The £118 million contract with MBDA is part of a three-year programme and demonstrates the economic and industrial dimension of defence procurement. MBDA’s Bolton facility, which employs 1,300 people and is undergoing a £200 million expansion that will create 700 new jobs by the end of the decade, is central to the programme. The company has already secured numerous contracts for Sky Sabre components, but this latest award directly supports 140 jobs while sustaining supply-chain partners across the UK. With up to £1 billion of additional funding earmarked in the Strategic Defence Review for homeland missile defence, the Land Ceptor order illustrates both short-term operational needs and long-term industrial policy objectives.

The purchase of six additional Land Ceptor launchers marks a decisive step in modernising the UK’s ground-based air defence. By enhancing Sky Sabre’s scale and reach, London is ensuring protection of its forces and territory while reinforcing NATO’s eastern defences. Beyond the military sphere, the contract underscores the link between security and economic resilience, showing how defence procurement can strengthen both deterrence against adversaries and prosperity at home.