Ground Based Air Defence

Military Capability

Record date: 31 March 2026

Whole-life cost: £1.5bn
Published schedule: 02/07/2018 – 31/12/2033
NISTA delivery confidence: AMBER
Senior responsible owner: Christopher (Ed) Cutts

What the project is for

The Land Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) programme delivers a modern, integrated air defence capability to protect UK forces and critical assets against evolving air and missile threats. Structured through Capability Uplift Plans (CUPs), the programme balances immediate capability delivery with longer-term transformation. CUP 1 focuses on fielding “no regrets” capabilities already on contract, including enhancements to existing systems. CUP 2 seeks to deliver a more integrated and digitally-enabled force, improving lethality, survivability and interoperability with NATO partners. Future phases will explore further capability evolution, including emerging technologies and alternative force constructs. The programme brings together a range of industry partners, delivery organisations and stakeholders to deliver a coherent, layered defence system, underpinned by modern command and control and a data-centric approach to operations.

Departmental delivery commentary

Compared to financial year 24/25 Q4, the NISTA/SRO Delivery Confidence Assessment (DCA) rating at 25/26 Q4 remained at Amber. This is primarily due to the following factors. 1. Over the past 12 months, delivery confidence has remained Amber primarily due to challenges associated with the transition from early capability delivery into more complex programme integration. Increased cost pressures, particularly within elements of the short-range air defence capability, have raised affordability concerns against available funding. 2. In parallel, resource constraints across both the programme team and delivery organisations have impacted the pace of progress and contributed to schedule pressure. 3. Dependencies on wider Defence activity, including infrastructure and investment decisions, have also introduced uncertainty and limited the programme’s ability to progress at the required rate. 4. Collectively, these factors reflect the growing complexity of delivering an integrated, modernised air defence system, requiring continued alignment of funding, resource and dependencies to support future delivery confidence.

Schedule

Compared to financial year 24/25-Q4, the programme's end-date at 25/26-Q4 remained the same at 31/12/2033.

Cost

Compared to financial year 24/25-Q4, the project's departmentally agreed Whole Life Cost at 25/26-Q4 (measured in £m) decreased from £2967.59M to £1589.63M. This is due to the programme having undertaken a rebaselining exercise against a revised affordable envelope.

Benefits

Compared to financial year 24/25-Q4, the project's departmentally agreed Benefits at 25/26-Q4 (measured in £m) remained at 0. This is primarily due to the following factors. No monetised benefits.