THE UK is sending sophisticated Brimstone 2 missiles to Ukraine as it backs up its support for the country in its war against Russia.
Brimstone 2, which cost £175,000 each, have the capability of hunting down Russian tanks and selecting their own targets.
The Ministry of Defence made the announcement on its Twitter page, saying: “As part of its aid package, the UK has provided Brimstone 2 missiles, a precision-guided missile, to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
“This aid has played a crucial role in stalling Russian advancements.”
The accompanying video to the post emphasises the Ukrainian military is using the weapons against Russian equipment and tanks.
An aircraft was loaded up at RAF Brize Norton and unloaded at an unnamed airport.
The transfer of the Brimstone 2 missiles to Ukraine was first reported on November 21 when the first pictures of the shipment were released online.
It has been previously reported the UK had supplied Ukraine with Brimstone 1 missiles.
Ukrainian forces have been deploying the missiles from ground launchers to wipe out targets.
The family of air-to-surface guided missiles were developed by the MBDA international consortium.
The original Brimstone missile system was upgraded to Brimstone 2 in 2010, as part of the SPEAR programme.
Brimstone 2 carries a more advanced homing head, improved modular design and airframe and updated software.
The improvements mean the missile has an increased flight range which is now more than 37 miles when launched from an aircraft and up to 25 miles for a helicopter launch – double the length of the previous model.
The potential range when fired from ground launchers is still to be determined.
The Brimstone missiles, and other anti-tank weapons will have helped stall any attempt by Moscow forces to advance.
They operate by tracking a laser fired by troops, aircraft or vehicles to hit their target, or can even select its own target from a pre-programmed list through the use of an extremely high-frequency millimetric wave radar.
This allows the missile to scan the battlefield and pick the most appropriate target, discounting civilian vehicles or less important military equipment.
When guided by a laser it can be used in built-up areas with precision, to minimised the potential for collateral damage among the civilian population.
While Brimstone 2 is designed to primarily hit ground targets, including moving vehicles a maritime version has also been developed to strike high-speed boats.
Successful trials of the Sea Spear were undertaken in 2013 and showed the missile’s ability to strike numerous individual targets at sea.
During a visit to Kyiv earlier this month Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced another military package of £50milllion would be sent to Ukraine.
It is thought Brimstone was not part of that package.
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