Army specialists imagine footage of a Russian helicopter being blown out of the sky by a missile in Ukraine reveals a British-made weapons system in motion.
In March, the UK authorities introduced it might ship Starstreak, a type of man-portable air-defence system (MANPADS), to Ukraine to assist the nation defend itself in opposition to the Russian invasion.
UK defence minister Ben Wallace insisted the know-how falls throughout the definition of defensive weapons, as he confirmed on March 16 to the BBC the UK was sending the weapon to Ukraine.
A video circulating on social media reveals a helicopter being hit by a missile, reportedly within the Luhansk area, within the east of Ukraine.
The Instances newspaper reported a Ministry of Defence supply "believed that the video confirmed Startstreak in motion over Ukraine," and that the system had been used within the nation for nearly every week.
The paper added that senior defence trade sources additionally imagine Starstreak to have been the weapon used within the incident.
The UK was already supplying Ukrainian forces with anti-tank missiles as of late January, forward of an anticipated invasion by Russia.
Following the invasion, Ukraine has obtained weapons from various NATO allies, together with the US which additionally despatched MANPADS, within the type of Stinger missiles.
What's the Starstreak weapons system?
Starstreak is a extremely transportable, short-range air-defence system, manufactured within the UK.
The producer, Thales, says the weapon is "optimised to supply defence in opposition to air threats together with fixed-wing Fighter Floor Assault plane and late unmasking Assault Helicopters".
It may be moved by an individual (within the MANPAD position) or mounted onto a car, making it extremely versatile and adaptable to totally different battlefield conditions.
One of many standout options is the pace of the projectiles fired from the system. Thales says the missile is made up of three tungsten darts, which attain speeds in extra of Mach 3 (greater than 3,700 km per hour).
Based on a number of sources together with Defence Information, this makes STARStreak the quickest short-range surface-to-air missile on the planet.
The darts are then launched, aimed with laser beams, rising the chance of successful on the goal.
Thales states that the missile can't be jammed, and its pace means enemy plane are unlikely to have enough time to react as soon as it has launched.
How does Starstreak evaluate with Stinger missiles?
NATO nations together with the US have delivered floor to air missiles to Ukrainian forces to assist them defend themselves in opposition to Russia.
Though the quantity is undisclosed, many of those have been the US-made Stinger MANPADS.
Like Starstreak, Stingers may be carried and operated by a single particular person, and are an efficient type of anti-aircraft defence.
They've been in service for the reason that Eighties.
The rocket fired from the Stinger can attain a most pace of Mach 2.54 (3136 km per hour), which is barely slower than the Starstreak.
Its vary of as much as 4.8 km can be shorter than the Starstreak, which Thales says can hit targets greater than 7 km away.
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