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Ukraine, UK pen deal for Thales air defense missile supply

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Ukraine, UK pen deal for Thales air defense missile supply
A display model of the lightweight multi-role missile (LMM) is seen at the Thales U.K. plant in Belfast. (Niall Carson/PA Images via Getty Images)

The U.K. and Ukraine will sign a deal on July 10 to supply Ukraine with Thales air defense missiles, the U.K. government announced on its website.

Kyiv has repeatedly urged Western partners to expand air defense coverage as Russian forces continue to target Ukrainian cities with drones, missiles, and aerial bombs.

The U.K has committed to producing Thales-produced missiles for Western air defense systems in support of Ukraine over the next 19 years, in a £2.5 billion ($3.1 billion) project. Under the agreement, the U.K. will supply Ukraine with a total of 5,000 missiles.

"This announcement underlines our continued support for Ukraine — boosting their air defences against devastating drone and missile attacks and supporting the critical work to reconstruct this nation and provide the hope that they need," British Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said.

"This will also provide skilled jobs in the U.K. and is all part of our Plan for Change — bolstering the U.K. defence industry and strengthening our international ties," Rayner added.

The deal is set to be signed on July 10 during the Ukraine Reconstruction Conference in Rome.

In addition to missile supplies, the U.K. will provide bilateral assistance to Ukraine totaling up to £283 million ($354 million) through 2026.

Thales-made missiles, including the high-speed Starstreak and versatile Martlet models, have become key elements of Ukraine's air defense. Designed for precision and resistance to jamming, they are effective against drones and low-flying aircraft.

The missiles have a range of up to three kilometers (nearly one mile), and in some variants, feature laser guidance.

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Kateryna Hodunova

News Editor

Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

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The Kyiv Independent staff documented what it feels like to live and sleep in Kyiv, Ukraine, as Russia intensifies its drone and missile attacks on the city. Filmed over several weeks in June and July, our journalists take shelter in bathrooms, basements, and parking garages as explosions ring out overhead.

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