Is the British Army’s LEAPP ready for integrated air defence?

Sovereign Solution or Legacy Limiter? This interview provides a look at the British Army’s LEAPP capability, powered by SkyKeeper from Lockheed Martin UK, and its potential role in the UK’s quest for a seamless IAMD architecture.

The British Army is on a journey towards a truly Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) capability, a vision that demands a radical shift from siloed service capabilities to a unified, multi-domain system. At the heart of the land component’s contribution sits the Land Environment Air Picture Provision (LEAPP) capability.

Developed by Lockheed Martin UK (LMUK), LEAPP has been an integral part of the Army’s air defence for over a decade, providing a Recognised Air Picture (RAP) to 7th Air Defence Group. But with the UK government having committed £1 billion to develop its IAMD capabilities in June 2025, the question for LEAPP is not about its past service, but its future suitability as a central command and control (C2) pillar.

From bespoke to backbone: The evolution of LEAPP and SkyKeeper

The original LEAPP capability was a bespoke system, born out of a specific Army requirement and designed with a dedicated operating system. It was intended to support the Sky Sabre air defence systems, which were initially procured to provide air defence for the Falklands. However, the requirement to modernise—specifically with the introduction of LINK 16 datalinks and Mode 5A IFF—forced a significant update around 2017. It was at this point that the bespoke core was replaced by SkyKeeper, a commercially developed C2 system from LMUK.

Richard Turner, SkyKeeper Business Development Manager for LMUK GBAD, explained the origins and evolution when we met at DSEI: “SkyKeeper evolved out of those two programmes [the early LEAPP development and automated sense and warn systems] and developed as a GBAD C2 system. Predominantly developed with internal funding… The decision was made to take the operating core of LEAPP out and replace it with SkyKeeper. The functionality remains, but at its core is the SkyKeeper OS.”

This transition means that, today, the Army’s RAP capability is built on a modular, commercially-evolved software core—a key feature that Turner argues makes it ideal for the coming IAMD challenge. “We are a sovereign capability that is inherently designed to evolve,” Turner stated. “With SkyKeeper embedded in the heart of LEAPP, there is a sovereign C2 capability that can evolve in coordination with the MoD to meet their end game requirement for an integrated and layered C2 for GBAD.”

Any sensor, any shooter

The Army’s GBAD programme, alongside the Royal Navy’s drive for Air Dominance and the Royal Air Force’s future combat air programme, Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), are the three pillars supporting the UK’s IAMD architecture. Delivering on the IAMD promise, however, requires a C2 system capable of embracing the philosophy of “Any Sensor, Any Shooter.”

This means ingesting data from every available source—land-based radars, naval platforms, intelligence feeds, and even 5th generation fighter jets like the F-35—fusing it into a single, cohesive picture, and then quickly allocating the best available weapon to intercept a threat.

This is where the modularity of SkyKeeper becomes central to LMUK’s pitch.

“Current LEAPP only takes in data from a single organic radar and Link 16. But in the future, you need multiple sensors, and having that come in and fused is absolutely critical,” he noted. SkyKeeper is designed around sensor and effector integration. Using internal funding, the company has already integrated its TPS-77 and AN/TPS-77 air surveillance radars into SkyKeeper, as well as the Giraffe AMB and Giraffe 4A radars from Saab, and various electro-optical sensors. RF effectors and high energy laser weapons have also been integrated, with planned integration for a range of missile-based interceptors. 

Crucially, the ability to integrate non-traditional sensors like the F-35 is seen as essential. “Sensing is critical, and the capability of the F-35 means that it is a sensor that needs to be taken into consideration,” Turner emphasised. While integrating a land-based surveillance radar with a known protocol is relatively straightforward, Turner acknowledges that linking the C2 system with a platform like the F-35 is “more complicated than that, but it’s possible.”

“The ideal goal is to have the connectivity so that a decision can be made, where appropriate to intercept, engage or affect a target, using the best available system. The panacea is to have most sensors, best shooter,” he added. 

SkyKeeper and the path to integration

A key hurdle for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is deciding who will take on the role of Lead System Integrator for the sprawling GBAD programme. Turner confirmed that the MoD’s Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) organisation is actively seeking ideas from industry. LMUK’s proposed solution is a collaboration of “likeminded UK industry that have skin in the GBAD game,” providing a UK-led solution that aims to minimise risk.

“The approach of a UK collaboration with companies that already have or could have skin in the game, working with the authority, means that risk and appetite to make the programme move forward, has got to be something that the authority looks at seriously,” Turner argued.

By leveraging an existing, invested-in capability like LEAPP, the MoD gains both efficiency and commonality. Turner sees the system’s architecture having “obvious synergies” with other MoD programmes, such as Project SERPENS (the MoD’s weapon locating programme), by using a common system to tie the battlespace infrastructure together. “As an incumbent within LEAPP there is a capability that the MoD has already invested in, and whatever the suitability for the adjacent programme is, there’s a degree of commonality there that has to be efficient,” Turner concluded.

Calibre comment: Sovereign Capabilities vs imports

As the UK prepares to spend £1 billion to accelerate its IAMD capabilities, the question for LEAPP and SkyKeeper is whether an investment already made will prove to be the shrewd foundation for the future, or whether the demands of a multi-domain, sensor-rich environment will require an entirely new approach. For now, the Army’s C2 capability remains a central player in the high-stakes game of integrated air defence. Northrop Grumman is positioning itself to compete for elements of the UK’s GBAD programme, having partnered with Marshall Land Systems for that purpose in June. This could be a key test of the Labour Government’s drive to focus its investment on UK industry. 

SkyKeeper certainly appears up to the task of providing a layered command and control solution, however, as Richard explained, the funding commitment is unlikely to be enough to realise a comprehensive IAMD capability. For reference, a single Patriot battery with the attendant missiles is estimated to cost more than $1 billion (around £740 million). Ukraine is thought to have received at least six batteries for its own IAMD.  Granted, Ukraine is not NATO and the UK would be unlikely to face a Russian attack alone. It would probably do so as part of an alliance deploying shared assets. Nonetheless, air defence remains expensive, so procuring from the UK will hopefully be a priority.

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on 27 October, 2025. The lead image is a map showing the different routes taken by Russian drones and missiles to strike Ukraine. It reflects the complexity of modern air defence and the need for systems like SkyKeeper. Credit: @monitoringwar