Britain boosts Ukraine with advanced missiles and tech
5,000 LMM anti-aircraft missiles along with RapidRanger launchers are part of the new package of British aid for Ukraine. The United Kingdom will provide not only equipment worth approximately $2.16 billion CAD but also technology that will allow Ukraine to independently produce missile components.
The British aid pertains to one of the most modern weapons systems - the LMM (Lightweight Multirole Missile), developed with the aim of replacing the Starstreak HVM anti-aircraft missiles, which were also supplied to Ukraine.
Aid to Ukraine, besides its military significance, plays an important role for the British defence industry. As noted by Defence 24, thanks to the decision to supply Ukraine with as many as 5,000 missiles, Thales plants in Belfast will not only maintain their current workforce of 700 people but will also employ an additional 200 workers.
Initially, the LMM missiles were integrated (under the name Martlet) with the AW159 Lynx Wildcat AH.1 helicopters belonging to the British Royal Navy, but over time, a ground variant was also implemented. The new weapon recently achieved operational readiness in 2021. Smaller batches of LMM missiles were already delivered to Ukraine earlier, where they proved their effectiveness in, among other things, destroying Russian helicopters.
LMM missiles for Ukraine
The LMM missiles can be launched from the same launchers as the older Starstreak missiles. Due to the lightweight nature of the entire set, it can be used both in stationary form and mobile, when mounted on various types of light carriers, such as off-road vehicles. The manufacturer, Thales Group, also foresees the possibility of integrating the missile with unmanned aerial vehicles.
The LMM has a diameter of about 76 mm, a length of 1.3 metres, and weighs 13 kilograms, of which about 3 kilograms is attributed to the warhead. As its name suggests, the LMM is a versatile missile. Unlike the Starstreak missile, which requires a direct hit by one of the three carried "darts" to destroy a target, the LMM is equipped with a warhead with a proximity fuze capable of operating in both fragmentation and shaped charge modes.
This solution allows the missile to be used against aerial, land, or sea targets. As WP journalist Przemysław Juraszek notes, "its warhead also allows for attacking lightly armoured vehicles, such as the BMP-2 or patrol boats."
Laser-guided missile
An important feature of the LMM is its guidance method - the missile is directed to a target illuminated by the shooter with a laser designator. The advantage of this solution is its immunity to electronic warfare measures or flares used by aircraft or helicopters to disrupt heat-seeking missiles.
The disadvantage of this guidance method is its susceptibility to interference caused, for example, by dense smoke, as well as requiring the shooter to maintain the designator on the target during the missile's flight.
