The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on Friday that the UK will supply a total of 650 short-range air defense missiles to Ukraine. Thales UK will provide Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM) as part of a 162-million-pound ($212 million) contract, with the first batch expected to be delivered by the end of this year. British Defence Secretary John Healey MP emphasized that this commitment will bolster Ukraine’s air defenses in response to recent Russian attacks on Poltava and Lviv.
The contract for the missiles is primarily funded through the UK’s financial aid package for Ukraine and Norway’s contributions through the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU). Additionally, a meeting between Healey and Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov led to a 300-million-pound ($392 million) package of artillery ammunition for Ukraine, also expected to be delivered by the end of this year.
The Lightweight Multirole Missile produced by Thales has a range of over 6 kilometers and a speed of Mach 1.5, making it versatile for various platforms and targets. The UK MoD recently placed an order of 176 million pounds for the missiles to replenish stocks. Thales has been working closely with the UK and Ukraine to support the effort by delivering key air defense systems under Task Force Hirst, aiming to strengthen defense industry partnership between the two countries.
