Labor blamed the government’s “broken military procurement system” for exposing Britain to the threat of Chinese spy balloons after it became known that the delivery of a new reconnaissance aircraft to the UK could be delayed by four years.
John Healy, shadow secretary of defense, told I that the government had created a “capacity gap” by phasing out critical military equipment without immediate replacement.
Ministers have ended the use of Britain’s fleet of E-3 Sentry airborne early warning aircraft and will sell them to Chile in 2021. The Boeing-made aircraft that caught the first known Chinese spy balloon over Alaska last month is able to detect objects like spy balloons with high accuracy because they clear the airborne “garbage” that confuses other radars. systems.
The government was due to replace its E-3 Sentry fleet with several E7 Wedgetails in 2023, but the £1.89 billion scheme has been delayed by at least a year.
Labor’s analysis suggested that the new reconnaissance aircraft might not arrive until 2027, despite the Department of Defense’s claim that the new fleet “will change our early warning and air control capabilities in the UK”.
Mr Healy said I“The Conservatives’ broken military procurement system has left the RAF without adequate surveillance capabilities at a time of heightened concerns about air raids.”
He added that the system “failed the British taxpayer” and created “security holes” that could make the UK more vulnerable to Chinese espionage.
“Ministers have done nothing to address repeated delays and rising costs,” he said, adding that the raid could also “undermine the UK’s full contribution to NATO.”
Rishi Sunak stressed that the UK has an “impenetrable ability” to counter suspected Chinese spy balloons.
US forces have shot down four ships in the past month and are currently inspecting “sensor and electronic parts” recovered from a balloon shot down over the Atlantic last week.
Romania also sent military aircraft on Tuesday to investigate the alleged spy balloon, making it the first sighting of one of the objects over European airspace since the US incidents.
The balloons are allegedly being used by China to spy on secret military installations, though Beijing denies these claims.
China has previously said that suspicious objects over 200 feet high, flying at altitudes up to 120,000 feet, are civilian weather balloons that have strayed off course.
So far, none of them have been seen over the UK. However, Transport Minister Richard Holden acknowledged on Tuesday that it is “possible” that such objects have already flown over British airspace, noting that China is an “enemy state”.
“We have seen Russia here in the UK with the Salisbury poisonings and other measures they have taken. I think we need to be realistic about the threat these countries pose to the UK,” he told Sky News.
“They don’t care about our democratic values. They are not interested in campaigning for human rights around the world. [like] We.”
Kim Darroch, a former national security adviser, also denied Sunak’s claims that the UK had the necessary “equipment and equipment” to hunt them down.
Lord Darroch, who held the post from 2012 to 2015, said on Tuesday he did not trust British intelligence capabilities because “we have not invested enough in defense over the past few decades.”
“We don’t have all the kits and equipment that we really need and there are gaps in the technology of our forces,” he said.
The prime minister is now under pressure to formally declare China a “threat” after a former British security chief said the government needed to “realise” the superpower’s actions.
Defense Secretary Ben Wallace announced this weekend that the government will investigate the Chinese spy balloon threat.
This was stated by the director of the China Study Group of Conservative MPs Chris Cash. I that the UK should “seize this opportunity” to take a tougher stance on Beijing.
“Sometimes you need these flashy events to get things moving,” he said. “But we would like to get rid of this crazy approach. We don’t want another Huawei to happen to push the government into action against China.
Source: I News
I’m Sandra Hansen, a news website Author and Reporter for 24 News Reporters. I have over 7 years of experience in the journalism field, with an extensive background in politics and political science. My passion is to tell stories that are important to people around the globe and to engage readers with compelling content.