Overview

• The report judges NATO’s current air‑defense capacity insufficient to counter a potential Russian strike on member states.
• RUSI outlines a phased threat to Britain, with near‑term vulnerability at military sites and growing requirements to counter ballistic and hypersonic weapons from the mid‑2030s toward 2040.
• Author Sidharth Kaushal recommends upgrades such as advanced L‑band sensors, longer‑range surface‑to‑air missiles and options like the MK 41 vertical launch system.
• Recent battlefield use of Russia’s Kinzhal and Zircon hypersonic missiles and the Oreschnik medium‑range system in Ukraine underscores the challenge to Western detection and interception.
• Separate claims reported by Newsweek say UK simulations showed some missiles breaching defenses and cite a Czech officer’s view that NATO has roughly five percent of the air‑defense systems needed to protect Eastern and Central Europe during a crisis.