Help From the Brits

Great Britain is preparing to send armored missile launchers to Ukraine now that Russia has begun an all-out war to seize control of the country’s east.

A Stormer missile launcher vehicle being loaded into a US military transport plane at Hanover Airport, Germany. Image Credit: Sgt B Gamble Images

Representatives from the UK Ministry of Defence demonstrated their Stormer High-Velocity Missile (HVM) launcher to Ukrainian officials at their Salisbury Plain training area about two weeks ago, according to sources in the English press. The Ukrainians were informed that, if desired, the 13-ton vehicles could be flown to the war zone on C-17 transport aircraft in a matter of days.

https://youtu.be/LTSuPp44xYU

Video footage courtesy of YouTube and KBAL_Thom News

Stormers are armored vehicles capable of firing salvos of 17 Starstreak anti-aircraft rockets to take out enemy fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. They are manufactured by BAE (British Aerospace) Systems and require just three people to operate.

This news comes as Ukrainian President Zelensky informs the world that a “significant part of the Russian army” is concentrated in an offensive in the Donbas. In this primarily Russian-speaking part of the country, Moscow-backed separatists have declared two independent republics that have been recognized by the Kremlin.

The situation as it exists in Ukraine on April 19, 2022, at 18:05 UTC. Map courtesy of telegraph.co.uk
The situation as it exists in Ukraine on April 19, 2022, at 18:05 UTC. Map courtesy of telegraph.co.uk

The Fastest Short-Range Surface-To-Air System in the World

It’s not news that Mr. Zelensky has been pleading with Western powers for more military aid. The US is busy sending a second $800 million round of assistance. Boris Johnson said on April 7th that he was “certainly looking at what more military assistance we can give.”

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace announced last month that he was thinking of sending the Stormer and Starstreak system to Ukraine. The missiles can either be shoulder-mounted or placed on the turret of the Stormer. They break into three separate projectiles after being fired. This allows them to have multiple impacts on multiple targets simultaneously.