Ukraine has received hundreds of air-defense missiles from the United Kingdom several months ahead of schedule.
The announcement came from the UK government following a visit to Kyiv by a British delegation led by Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP on October 10.
The missiles, manufactured by Thales in Belfast under the UK support programme, are intended to protect Ukraine’s airspace. They include lightweight, multi-role LMM missiles, delivered five months earlier than planned.
“Driving industrial partnerships is essential so that we can learn from their expertise and together build the industrial base we need to defend the UK, deter our adversaries and support Ukraine,” Pollard said following the visit.
He also emphasized that the UK is reinforcing its strong support for Ukraine in defending against Russian forces. This year, London will allocate £4.5 billion ($5.7 billion) in military aid to Ukraine, a record amount.
Kevin Craven, CEO of ADS said:
"The UK’s defence industry stands united in our efforts to increase production capacity, develop innovative new capabilities, and build a resilient industrial ecosystem that endures against the most trying of circumstances. In what has been the most multinational trade mission to Kyiv of its kind, it has been an honour for industry to lead the UK in engaging both within Ukraine and with our Ukrainian counterparts."
