Ukraine invasion to mark end of 'arrogant' Putin says Ben Wallace
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Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told the House of Commons that he has not ruled out sending Brimstone missiles to Ukraine. He also told the house the UK will send over more Stormer launchers and will offer to send Challenger 2 tanks to Poland. Brimstone missiles are anti-ship missiles and have previously been used by British forces in Libya and Syria.
Originally developed for the Royal Air Force, they usually get blasted from a high-speed jet aircraft.
The weapon is 1.8 metres in length, weighs 50kilograms, and has a diameter of 180millimetres.
Now, Britain is assessing the different ways it might be able to ship these powerful weapons over.
One suggestion has been to mount the Brimstones to vehicles.
When asked in the Commons whether the UK will send them to Ukraine, Mr Wallace responded: “We made a commitment I think nearly 18 months ago, two years ago, when we were selling fast-attack patrol boats to Ukraine, that we would sell it armed with maritime Brimstone missiles.
“We would do that. They are not at present in the country. Those ships have not been yet purchased or delivered.
“However, if we wish to provide Brimstones in whatever guises they are, I will inform members of this House when we do it.
“I don’t close it off as an opportunity.
“I think it’s a perfectly legitimate thing.”
Mr Wallace added Britain “will look to provide if we do, Brimstone for the land, using stock we already hold but not as yet on the sea.”
Meanwhile, Stormers are armoured vehicles fitted with launchers for anti-air missiles.
It is fitted with armour plates to protect it against arms fire and shell fragments.
The Government pledged to ship over £100million more worth of weapons to Ukraine following alleged war crimes committed by Russia on the outskirts of Kyiv.
It was built on the £350million of military aid the UK already provided.
Promises included getting more tanks to the Ukrainian capital, as well as more Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles, anti-tank rockets and drones.
Starstreak is a highly portable, short-range air-defence system, built in the UK.
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Weapons manufacturer Thales says the system is “optimised to provide defence against air threats including fixed-wing Fighter Ground Attack aircraft and late unmasking Attack Helicopters”.
Britain’s anti-tank rockets have come in the form of what are called Javelins and Next-Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapons Systems (NLAWs).
They provide close-range defence against tanks, and are metre-long disposable weapons weighing just 27.5 pounds.
NLAWs can launch a single 150-millimetre diameter missile out to an effective range between 20 and 600 metres, or up to 400 metres for moving targets.
Newer models reportedly have an accurate range of up to 800 metres thanks to newer guidance software.
According to the British Army, the missile can destroy “any main battle tank in just one shot by striking it from above”.
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