The Cabinet of Ministers has decided to attract almost 1.7 billion pounds sterling (almost $2.3 billion) from the United Kingdom to strengthen the country's air defense, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal announced.
"With these funds, we plan to purchase Rapid Ranger air defense systems, as well as Marlet light multi-purpose missiles. This will significantly strengthen our air defense and ability to stop the enemy," said Denys Shmyhal.
RapidRanger is a short-range anti-aircraft missile system developed by the British company Thales UK. It has a range of 6 km and is equipped with a lightweight launcher that can carry 4 LMM (Martlet) or Starstreak missiles.
The complex has its own optical-sighting station or radar system, which allows detecting and tracking enemy air targets. Due to its weight of less than 500 kg, the complex can be mounted on a light wheeled chassis, which provides high mobility.
The Martlet missiles are 1.3 m long, 76 mm in diameter and weigh 13 kg. They are equipped with a 3 kg warhead and a non-contact fuze, which increases the effectiveness of hitting targets. Guidance is carried out according to the "laser trail" principle, which allows ignoring heat traps and reduces the risk of deviation from the target.
These missiles are already in use by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in particular in the Stormer HVM air defense system. They have shown high effectiveness against enemy drones.
Denys Shmyhal also recalled that the United Kingdom recently announced its intention to transfer 100,000 drones to Ukraine by the end of this financial year for a total of 350 million pounds ($473 million), which is ten times higher than previous deliveries. This package of UAVs will be part of a wider program of military assistance to Ukraine worth 4.5 billion pounds.