Conservatives pledge £10bn 'Britannia Shield' missile and drone defence system

The Conservatives have pledged to invest in a new missile and drone defence system if voted into government at the next election.

Branding it "Britannia Shield", the party said it would spend up to £10bn over a decade on an integrated network of radar, command and control systems, as well as interceptor missiles.

In a speech to the Conservative Party conference on Tuesday, shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge will describe it as "the most significant upgrade to UK air defence for generations".

In response, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the Tories had an "abysmal record" of defending Britain during their 14 years in power, adding: "They owe Britain an apology, not another lecture."

The Tories described their plans as "a British 'Iron Dome'", a reference to Israel's elaborate air defence system.

The party said it would be capable of defending the UK's critical national infrastructure, military bases and sovereign territories from sophisticated threats.

It added that their proposal would strengthen the UK's air defence systems at a time when Nato allies have warned they are facing repeated Russian drone incursions.

They also cited a report from the defence committee of MPs last November which said the UK was lagging behind its European counterparts in having a plan to defend itself and overseas territories from a military attack.

The Conservative Party said its "Britannia Shield" would have three components - new advanced radar systems, upgraded command and control systems to integrate information from across Britain's defences and rapidly decide a response, and new interceptor missiles as well as counter-drone capabilities.

The three-tiered design of the proposal is similar to the British Army's current Sky Sabre, external air defence system.

This system - which can intercept munitions and aircraft as well as integrate with wider air defences - was deployed by the UK to the Middle East earlier this year for defensive action against Iranian attacks.

In his speech at the annual Conservative Party conference in Birmingham on Tuesday, Cartlidge will say: "With a £10bn budget, this would be one of Britain's most significant military programmes since the cold war.

"But one that is totally necessary because of the threats we face."

Streeting said in response: "They [the Conservatives] cut the Army to its smallest size since Napoleon and left a £17 billion hole in the equipment plan.

"Their own defence secretary, Ben Wallace, admitted our Armed Forces had been 'hollowed out and underfunded'."

The Conservatives said their plan would be funded within their existing commitment to spend 3% of GDP on defence by 2030, paid for by welfare reform and reprioritisation of existing expenditure.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been under pressure to set out how he will reach Nato's 3.5% of GDP spending target by 2035, up from an estimated 2.6% this year.

The current Labour government's Defence Investment Plan includes more than £350m to double the number of Sky Sabre systems operated by the British Army, with ground-based air defence sitting alongside air and maritime capabilities.