Ukraine: UK ‘not giving them heavy weaponry' says Taylor
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last week that the UK will ship over £100million more worth of weapons to Ukraine following alleged war crimes committed by Russia on the outskirts of Kyiv. It will build on the £350million of military aid the UK has already provided. Mr Johnson said he will aim to get 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.
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”.
Earlier this month, military experts claimed footage of a Russian helicopter being blown out of the sky by a missile in Ukraine was proof of the British-made weapons in action.
Britain’s anti-tank rockets have come in the form of what are called Javelins and Next-Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapons Systems (NLAWs).
Weapons expert and fellow at Magdalene College, Cambridge, Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, told Express.co.uk that these weapons have made a “huge impact”.
He said: “I think the Javelin and the NLAW, and of course, the UK has done a lot of training of the Ukraine military over the last few years, has had a huge impact not to be underestimated.”
The UK’s NLAWS, which provide close-range defence against tanks, are metre-long disposable weapons weighing just 27.5 pounds.
They 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”.
Britain will send 800 more NLAWs as part of the new defence package.
Javelins are British surface-to-air missiles that can be fired by one man from the shoulder and can also destroy tanks on the battlefield.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace MP said: “The Government is resolute in our support for Ukraine and determined that no barbaric Russian act goes unanswered.
“Another 800 NLAWs will not only support the Ukrainian defence but show Putin that his brutality only stiffens our resolve.”
Mr de Bretton-Gordon also said drones possessed by the US and UK are “highly-capable”.
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Britain is reportedly planning to send over more loitering systems, including single-use ”loiter” weapons reportedly similar to the US’ Switchblade UAV, dubbed the “kamikaze drone.
This is a remotely controlled system that can fly bombs into targets.
Mr Wallace also promised that the UK will send Mastiff armoured vehicles to Ukraine.
He said: “We will be sending armoured vehicles, protective armoured vehicles – such as Mastiff – to make sure that Ukraine has that support.
“It’s very important that we do what we can to help Ukraine and where they ask us for equipment.”
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