34 Squadron, 2nd C-UAS Wing RAF Regiment writing about its very busy year. Over 100 Rapid Sentry kills over Erbil (we all knew where most of the trade was; now we can stop pretending otherwise), but also deployment into Kuwait and at Akrotiri as part of Op LUMINOUS (the defence of the base). The formation of the C-UAS wing in 2022 was arguably the best investment in quite some time, along with RAPID SENTRY. It is to be hoped that Project PRESAGIUM will greatly expand the capability. If you ask me, all RAF Regiment Squadrons must have C-UAS equipment and capability. The group photo from Akrotiri shows a STORMER HVM from 12 Royal Artillery, a LML launcher (possibly Royal Marines, we know that at least for a period the Marines air defenders from 79 (Kirkee) Bty, 29 Cdo RA were tasked with Cyprus defence; and a GIRAFFE AMB radar from 49 (Inkerman) Bty, 16 RA. All capabilities we already knew had been sent to Cyprus at various times. The RAF is quite openly celebrating its role, the Army is very much muted. We know something about 12 RA's role, but 16 RA (Sky Sabre batteries) has essentially gone dark last year and we have heard more or less nothing since. Their social media presence stopped talking even of exercises sometime last year, let alone deployments. This year there have been a few rare posts about Adventure Training and that's it. Nothing at all about role training and operational tasks. Earlier this year, while providing no detail, the MoD announced a Sky Sabre deployment into Saudi Arabia, backing up 12 RA which has had a presence there for a long time with STORMER (op CROSSWAY; see photos). The Army for now has clearly chosen complete silence about it. In all of this, Ground Based Air Defence capability is being stretched, literally, far and wide across the planet while being grossly insufficient. Too few batteries, and in the case of Sky Sabre, the 4 batteries have equipment for at most 2. And budget allocations per year to GBAD remain ludicrously small despite all of this, with a microscopic Sky Sabre uplift underway and some limited other investments, but no progress at all toward an actual build up of any relevance. Not even towards at least actually kitting out all of the existing Sky Sabre batteries. Good god, it should have been Hour 0, Day 1 Defence Investment Plan stuff. The intended replacement of STORMER in 2028 is also looking increasingly unlikely with the latest written answers on the theme saying the money is not enough and suggesting progress on developing the new Fire Unit vehicle (expected on Patria 6x6 base) is still alarmingly tentative at the end of 2026. And remember that STORMER had been supposed to be replaced THIS year. 2028 is already a revised target, which will need revising further. Not to mention that UK GBAD capability is dramatically "flat" on low altitudes, air-breathing targets. Good against drones, ok against jets and cruise missiles at short ranges (Sky Sabre), helpless against more demanding and ballistic threats. The complete and enduring lack of urgency on GBAD is the most incomprehensible of the many incomprehensible UK Defence plans.