Britain’s costly warships and aircraft are at risk from potential enemies because of rapid advances in their missile and surveillance technology, a respected think tank has warned.

Technological leaps by rivals such as Russia and China have eroded the military dominance once taken for granted by the West, the paper from the Royal United Services Institute says.

The report singles out Chinese and Russian long range missiles “which threaten large land, maritime and air platforms” and could knock out satellite-based communications and positioning systems that Western militaries have become reliant on.