UK will not have air supremacy over enemies in future wars, RAF chief warns

Featured in The Independent


Air Power

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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. 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Lecture, Sir Richard praised the strength of the RAF but said that it had spent the past 25 years preparing for a now outdated form of warfare.