[UK] will provide for the delivery of more than 5,000 air defence missiles from Thales, which will not only significantly strengthen the UK’s defence capabilities but also help Ukraine continue its resistance in the war launched by Russia.
The UK also confirms the provision of up to £283 million in bilateral assistance to Ukraine over the coming year.
“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,” the government press service quoted UK Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner as saying.
The United Kingdom will allocate up to £10.5 million for the Governance Reform Programme and up to £1 million to support Ukraine’s Green Transition Office in the 2025–2026 financial year.
The deal concerns the FZ275 LGR, a 70mm guided missile developed by Thales. Originally an unguided aviation rocket, the FZ275 LGR has been upgraded with a semi-active laser guidance system, giving it a strike range of up to 3,000 meters.
The missile is capable of intercepting drones, including those used in Russian attacks, and is compatible with the Vampire air defense systems currently deployed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
This compatibility will allow mobile fire teams to supplement machine guns with guided munitions, providing a cost-effective alternative to more expensive air defense missiles.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2FECb2L45t8
I imagine the idea is to use a tried and true high quality but ultimately basic 70mm tube missile and aim it really smart which is a good cost effective way to deal with swarms.
EMONTS: That’s the main external difference between the two weapons. The guided rocket – or missile – does not need to spin, like their unguided counterparts which have ‘curved clams’ on the rear end. It needs to maintain a flat flight path. Therefore, we put canards behind the front. The canards maintain the flight trajectory after the engine is spent which takes around one second.
After the engine is spent, it becomes a ballistic munition and utilises gravitational forces to glide onto the target which has been established by the launching-platform via its Wescam sensor or by an external source such as a single soldier or UAV.
The gliding mechanism is what distinguishes the system from traditional missiles. However, the main benefit is that the FZ275 LGR is compatible with all current launchers that we have delivered to our customers. There are over 2,000 launch pods in use all over the world, and for each one a guided solution is feasible.
We have also developed lock-on-before-launch functionality, greatly reducing potential waste and unwanted collateral damage. This, in turn, improves survivability, since a helicopter can remain lethal outside of effective MANPADS range.
This will be good for the Ukrainian people and also for the one Thales stock I own 😎
