UK air supremacy in future wars is gone, RAF chief says

The UK will not enjoy supremacy in the air in future warfare but will have to fight against an “ever-improving enemy” for control, the head of the Royal Air Force has warned, as he claimed that the UK faces the most difficult strategic environment in decades.

- TOM WATLING

Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, chief of the Air Staff, suggested the era of unchallenged Western dominance in the air had come to an end, adding that it was imperative the RAF modernise its efforts to stay ahead of the likes of China and Russia.

Speaking at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a defence think tank, for the annual Lord Trenchard Memorial Lecture, Sir Richard praised the strength of the RAF but said that it had spent the past 25 years preparing for a now outdated form of warfare.

“Throughout my career, we have enjoyed air supremacy, never mind air superiority, at least above 10,000 feet,” he said. “That is not going to be the case in the future. It seems clear to me that we are going to have to fight for control of the air.

“We have spent the last 25 years or more optimising ourselves for the types of conflict we saw in the Balkans, the Middle East or Afghanistan. We as a service responded well and adapted our systems and capabilities for those wars. But this is not the threat we face today. We need to become match fit for the new, bigger and more important game.”