Western air superiority is under threat from new fighter jets, missiles, and stealth tech developed by Russia and China, the RAF chief warns.
Air Chief Marshall Stephen Hillier said Britain’s rivals were more competitive in the skies than any time since the Cold War, and catching up.
‘The global situation has changed, and fast,’ he said at a ceremony in Paris on Friday to mark the 100th anniversary of the Royal Air Force, of which his is the head.
Western air superiority is under threat from new fighter jets, missiles, and stealth tech developed by Russia and China, RAF chief Air Chief Marshall Stephen Hillier warns
‘The global situation has changed, and fast,’ he said at a ceremony in Paris on Friday to mark the 100th anniversary of the Royal Air Force (pictured)
‘We need to wake up to the fact that the control of air space too is being contested to a degree we have not witnessed in the post Cold War years.’
Marshall Hillier said Russia’s sophisticated surface-to-air missiles and fifth-generation fighter jets would challenge Western technological superiority.
China was also investing heavily in new stealth fighter jet technology as part of a vast overhaul of its armed forces.
He said Russia was ‘the most telling and pressing example’ of the increasing threat to Western nations in a changing world.
‘It is now clear that the threat posed to our societies and their national interests by state actors and their proxies has grown to proportions we have not seen since the fall of the Soviet Union,’ he said.
French air force chief Andre Lanata pointed to the loss of an Israeli F16 fighter jet over Syria in February, which was hit by Syrian anti-aircraft fire, as an illustration of the dangers.
French air force chief Andre Lanata (pictured) pointed to the loss of an Israeli F16 fighter jet over Syria in February as an illustration of the dangers
The two air force top brass attended the ceremony at the Hotel des Invalides in Paris to mark 100 years after the RAF was officially formed at the end of World War I
‘Our adversaries, our rivals have understood the advantage we have from our aerial power… today they are developing increasingly robust strategies to keep us out of the air,’ he said.
He urged policymakers to ‘really understand that control of air space in the future will be contested to an unprecedented degree.
‘It’s a major issue for our defence,’ he added.
The two air force top brass attended the ceremony at the Hotel des Invalides in Paris to mark 100 years after the RAF was officially formed at the end of World War I.
A French Rafale fighter jets (top right) performs a fly during a ceremony to celebrate the centenary of the RAF at the Hotel des Invalides
Gavin Williamson (pictured at a Red Arrows even in Downing Street this week) insisted Britain must bolster the armed forces to counter Russian aggression
The air chiefs’ warning came a day after UK Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said Vladimir Putin was ‘challenging us in every domain’ and the threat was the highest since the Cold War.
He highlighted dozens of incursions by Russian fighter jets and ships that the RAF and Navy have needed to respond to.
The chilling warning came as Mr Williamson wrestled with the Treasury to secure more funding for the armed forces.
In a dramatic intervention on Thursday he raised the spectre of nuclear war – saying the UK could have to deploy Trident if its conventional forces were not strong enough.