UK to provide Ukraine with $213 million package of air defense missiles
The United Kingdom will supply Ukraine with a new military aid package consisting of 650 Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM) worth over $213 million, the U.K. government announced on Sept. 6.
The announcement comes ahead of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group's (UDCG) meeting at the U.S. Ramstein military base in Germany. U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey will formally present the aid package at the summit.
Healey met with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on Sept. 3 in London, where the two officials discussed the U.K.'s ongoing support for Ukraine's defense, including a $395 million contract for artillery shells.
The first LMM missiles are expected to be delivered by the end of this year.
"This new commitment will give an important boost to Ukraine's air defenses and demonstrates our new government’s commitment to stepping up support for Ukraine," Healey said.
"In recent days we have seen the tragic cost of Russia's indiscriminate strikes on Poltava and Lviv. These new UK-made missiles will support Ukraine to defend its people, infrastructure, and territory from Putin’s brutal attacks."
The LMM missiles, which can be launched from different platforms on land, sea, or air, are produced by the defense manufacturer Thales at a facility in Belfast. The weapons have a range of over 6 kilometers and can counter various threats, including drones and armored personnel carriers.
The U.K. has sent Ukraine hundreds of LMM missiles since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Isaac C. Flanagan
