The Ministry of Defence are to order £228million of super missiles to protect the Falklands as Argentina seeks to bolster its air force, it has been reported.
The British territory in the South Atlantic is currently protected by ageing Rapier missile batteries.
Last month, it was reported that Argentina was looking to strengthen its air force by leasing attack jets from Russia.
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A Future Local Area Air Defence System prepares for launch during trials. It has been reported that the Ministry of Defence are to buy this system to protect the Falkland Islands
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A computer generated image of what one of the missiles from a FLAADS launcher could look like. The Ministry of Defence say missiles from the system will be able to travel at 1,000 metres per second
And according to the Sun, the MoD are to buy a truck-based Future Local Area Air Defence System (FLAADS) to protect the islands.
A source told the newspaper: ‘Argentina’s air force has not improved since their defeat in 1982, but they’ve repeatedly tried to sort that despite being cash-strapped.
‘Britain must always stay one step ahead when it comes to defending the Falklands. Rapier has been a great asset, but it’s ᴛι̇ɱe for a new system to counter further threats.’
In May last year, the Ministry of Defence announced it has awarded a £36million contract to missile company MBDA UK to explore the capabilities of FLAADS, a land-based air defence system.
They added that the missiles from the system would be able to travel at 1,000 metres per second and defend against threats, including jets or cruise missiles travelling at supersonic speeds.
At the ᴛι̇ɱe, the MoD said that following an assessment phase, a decision on whether to buy FLAADS as a replacement for Rapier was expected to be made next year.
An MoD spokesperson said: ‘Our overall military posture in the South Atlantic is based on regular assessments of the threat and the Falkland Islands remain well-defended; we do not offer comment on specific operational details.
‘We remain vigilant and committed to the protection of the Falkland islanders.’
The Falkland Islands have formally been a British territory since 1833, but Argentina dispute this saying sovereignty of the archipelago belongs to them.
Waged over the course of ten weeks, the Falklands War was sparked when Argentina invaded remote British territories in the South Atlantic on April 2, 1982.
Argentina, which refers to the islands as Las Malvinas, had claimed it had inherited them from Spain during the 1800s.