The army of a country in NATO simulated an attack similar to the one released against Ukraine: “The image was not pleasant”
The UK has learned important lessons after performing a simulation to evaluate the impact of a Russian rocket attack, in the scenario in which Russia would have targeted the UK and not Ukraine, a high official of the Air Force said.
Russia has launched a wave of rockets on Ukraine on February 24 Photo Shutterstock
The images were not too pleasant, Commander Blythe Crawford said on Thursday at a Royal United Institute conference in London.
Using the gladiator, a $ 32 million simulation program, the UK's air fight training center played “Night 1 of Ukraine” – February 24, 2022 – and watched the attack as if it were carried out on the United Kingdom, according to Crawford's report, the former commander of the Center.
He did not detail the exact results of the simulation, which took place in 2022, but he seems to understand that the air defense of the United Kingdom was penetrated after being overwhelmed by the Russian rockets.
“For years I have been on the western edge of Europe, with the feeling that the rest of the continent is between us and the enemy. In the last decades, we, the UK, have focused on the safety of the garrison and we assumed that we can safely operate from our base, as most of the wars we wore. he said, according to The Times.
But “Ukraine made us all wake up and this determined some of the work we were doing in the war center to evaluate how we solved such a problem if a similar scenario would apply to the United Kingdom.”
Russia has launched a rain of rockets on Ukraine on the day of its large -scale invasion.
The struggle scenario is complicated after three years of war in Ukraine
The United Kingdom has strengthened its air defense over the past three years, developing a strategy that integrates planes, ships and terrestrial systems – an essential defensive network to prevent an attempt to land the invasion in the UK.
On the other hand, there are notable differences between how Russia attacked Ukraine and how it could test the Antiaerian defense of the United Kingdom. Given that the rockets launched from the ground should pass through the European airspace, if Russia attacks the UK, could prefer to mobilize its northern fleet and launch an Atlantic attack, notes Business Insider.
Crawford stressed that “in The last three years, the scenario has become much more complex, in terms of the types of systems we have to counteract, but then the meal. ”
“When we see hundreds of drones that operate in Ukraine now, some baits, others with ammunition on board, the challenge is how do you approach them all – in fact, do you approach them all?” he added. “This is a challenge that we have everywhere in the West.”
Crawford described the Ukraine's battlefield as an alarm signal, “where two countries with very capable air defense systems, without any of the parties really reach any form of air superiority, which has been the cornerstone of the air operations for decades.”
He added that the painting became more complex in the context of drones and autonomy ascension, given that the possibility of “swarms of several hundred ammunition is created-not just drones, but in combinations with rockets and ICBMs, at all levels and in all spheres”.
The concept of aerial superiority has changed significantly, he said. “We tended to relate to the whole theater and something we have achieved over time. Now we see that the superiority of the air is from one trenches to another and from between 0 and 15 meters rather than something that is valid throughout the theater.”
The British army has taken concrete measures to improve its defense capacity
These include strengthening the aircraft shelters and practicing Typhoon aircraft landing in Finland, to ensure adequate training for operations in unconventional environments.
Although the situation has improved in the meantime, military experts believe that additional efforts are needed to ensure the rapid dispersion of aircraft and other critical assets in case of attack. The Ministry of Defense has significantly reduced the number of aerodromes in recent years and has ceased to use fortified bunkers.
The external commission that leads the strategic defense review, which is to be published soon, would have expressed serious concerns about the gaps in the missile defense system of the United Kingdom. Currently, the country is largely based on its fleet of six type 45 destroyers for defense against ballistic missiles.
“The United Kingdom is fully prepared to defend itself against any threat with our NATO allies”said a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense in the UK.
“Our army is equipped with a series of advanced capabilities to provide a stratified air and missile defense approach. This includes the world -class Viper Rocket system, which has successfully shot down a Houthi rebellious ballistic rocket and attacked drones in the Red Sea.”
