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Britain’s Defense Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace said on Thursday that his country will send 600 Brimstone missiles to Ukraine to help President Volodymyr Zelensky in the war against Russia. The announcement came a day after North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called for a “significant increase in support for Ukraine”.
“If we want a negotiated peaceful solution tomorrow, we need to provide more weapons today,” he said at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday.
UK’S MILITARY ASSISTANCE TO UKRAINE SO FAR
The US has sent military aid worth $19.3 billion to Ukraine since the start of the war in February 2022, making it the largest donor to the Ukrainian cause against Vladimir Putin’s Russian army.
The United Kingdom is the second-largest donor, with military assistance of £2.3 billion in 2022. The UK plans an equal amount of military aid this year as well. The latest announcement of the consignment of 600 Brimstone missiles is a step in this direction.
Among the weapons sent by the UK to Ukraine so far are the following:
- M270 multiple-launch rocket systems
- Next generation light anti-tank weapons (NLAWs)
- Javelin anti-tank missiles
- Starstreak missiles
- Brimstone 1 missiles
- mastiff armored vehicles
- Stormer HVM
- Malloy T150 heavy lift drones
The British Army is also training Ukrainian soldiers for the war. Earlier this week, the UK said it would send 14 Challenger 2 main battle tanks, long-range artillery and more armored vehicles to help Ukraine.
WHAT IS THE BRIMSTONE MISSILE?
The Brimstone missile is a British air-to-ground missile developed by MBDA (Matra, BAe Dynamics and Alenia). It is designed for precision strike against a wide range of targets, including armored vehicles, fortifications, and boats. The missile is equipped with a millimeter wave radar seeker for accurate targeting, and has a range of over 8 km.
One of the unique features of the Brimstone missile is its high precision and low collateral damage. The missile uses a semi-active laser seeker for terminal guidance, allowing for pinpoint accuracy against a specific target. Additionally, the missile’s small warhead is designed to minimize the potential for collateral damage, making it suitable for use in urban areas or other populated areas.
The missile, the double-variant of which costs around £175,000, has been used in conflicts such as the Gulf War, the War in Afghanistan, and the Libyan Civil War. The missile has been widely used by the Royal Air Force and is also in service with several other countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Australia. It has been used in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations, as well as in conventional warfare.
In 2019, the UK Ministry of Defense announced that the Brimstone missile would be updated to include a new seeker, which would allow the missile to strike moving targets at sea. This will expand the missile’s capabilities and increase its versatility. The new seeker is expected to be available by the end of 2022.
Currently, the missile is being used by the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Germany, and Ukraine.
Overall, the Brimstone missile is a highly versatile and precise weapon system that has proven its effectiveness in a variety of conflicts. Its ability to strike with pinpoint accuracy, while minimizing collateral damage, makes it an ideal weapon for use in both conventional and unconventional warfare.
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