Royal Artillery's new Sky Sabre missile system to deploy to Poland with 100 soldiers from Portsmouth area

The sophisticated weapon system is based with 16 Regiment, Royal Artillery, on Thorney Island and is capable of striking a tennis ball travelling at speed of sound.

The move to deploy the kit – which was only approved for use by the British Army at the end of last year – was announced by defence secretary Ben Wallace.

Speaking during a visit to Warsaw, the Tory minister told journalists at a news conference: ‘We 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.’A spokesman for prime minster Boris Johnson told news agency Reuters that the missile system was being deployed after a request from the Polish government and will remain under the control of British forces at all times.

‘It is, as ever, a purely defensive capability which we are providing on a bilateral basis to Poland,’ the spokesman said.

Sky Sabre is one of the most advanced air defence systems in the world, replacing the tried-and-tested Rapier system, was was retired from service earlier this year.

The new piece of kit has been built to counter the threat of Russian stealth fighters and hypersonic missiles.

Made up of a common anti-air modular missile, with three times the range of Rapier, and the Giraffe radar, that rotates 360 degrees on an extending mast and can scan out to 75 miles for threats.

SEE ALSO: Sky Sabre replaces old Rapier system

The missiles can reach speeds of 2,300mph, destroying fighter aircraft, drones and even laser-guided smart bombs out to 16 miles.

Eight missiles are mounted on the launcher, which is able to re-arm in less than half the time of Rapier.

Speaking to The News in January, Lieutenant Colonel Chris Lane, 16 Regiment’s commanding officer, said Sky Sabre and his troops were ‘ready and able’ to respond to threat facing Ukraine if required.

‘It’s designed to take on threats from the 21st century and if we are asked to deploy to other areas then we are ready to do so,’ he said.

‘Our men and women are absolutely operationally experienced wherever we have deployed with Rapier and are ready and able, having done the conversion courses to this very complicated and new 21st century weapons system to take on the next challenge or war or whatever comes our way.’

The platform has already been deployed in the Falklands.

But this will be its further mission into Europe amid the escalating crisis between Russia and Ukraine.

Sky Sabre’s arrival into the country follows a Russian cruise missile strike on a Ukrainian military base at Yavoriv, about 10 miles from the Polish border on Sunday.

Jeremy Quin, defence procurement minister said Sky Sabre has ‘significantly upgraded’ the protection it offers to Nato forces.

Speaking last year, the Tory minister added: ‘This cutting-edge defence system is a clear demonstration of our warfighting capabilities to those who wish to do us harm.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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