Britain has joined a handful of European allies in a program to develop low-cost air defense systems, including autonomous drones or missiles, with project delivery of the first elements scheduled for as early as 2027.
The Low-Cost Effectors & Autonomous Platforms (LEAP) initiative was launched on February 20 at a meeting of the European Group of Five (E5), comprising ministers from France, Germany, Italy, and Poland, and the UK.
LEAP will oversee the development of advanced low-cost air defense systems, implying there will eventually be more than one type of counter measure developed by the program. The initial focus is an affordable surface-to-air weapon to counter the threat of drones and missiles.
The war in Ukraine has shown the danger posed by relatively low-cost drones, including the Iranian-made Shahed 131, tens of thousands of which were launched against the country by Russia.
Each Shahed is estimated to cost $20,000 to $50,000, a considerably lower price tag than the missile systems used to destroy them. We asked the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) if LEAP will produce cheaper weapons than the drones or missiles they target.
The MoD claims the new program will draw inspiration from the ingenuity shown by Ukraine’s battlefield innovations, and prioritize speed and adaptability over the lengthy development cycles now typical of western defense projects. LEAP is also expected to draw proposals from small and medium sized enterprises as well as the usual large defense contractors.
In a canned statement, the UK Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard said: “European security is at a pivotal moment. The UK and our E5 partners are stepping up – investing together in the next generation of air defense and autonomous systems to strengthen NATO’s shield and keep our people safe.”
LEAP joins several other programs tackling the drone threat, including the DragonFire laser weapon being fitted to Royal Navy ships and the British Army’s own truck-mounted drone-zapping laser. The MoD also announced six extra Land Ceptor anti-aircraft missile systems last year to bolster UK air defenses.
The initiative comes as the MoD says it is scaling up cooperation with European allies to develop new long-range precision and hypersonic weapons, with spending on projects exceeding £400 million ($540 million) this financial year.
This includes the Stratus joint missile program with France and Italy, formerly known as the Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon (FC/ASW) and the Deep Precision Strike missile being developed with Germany and intended to have a range of in excess of 2,000 km.
Earlier this year, the British government also asked defense firms to rapidly produce a new ground-launched ballistic missile to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Codenamed Project Nightfall, this could be adopted by UK’s armed forces in future. ®