Ukraine and the United Kingdom have announced a joint project that will provide 5,000 LMM (Lightweight Multirole Missile) air defense missiles to the Ukrainian army, along with the location of their production in Ukraine.
The information was shared by Ukraine’s Minister of Defense, Rustem Umerov, via his Facebook page.
The project is supported by the company Thales and is funded by a loan guaranteed by UK Export Finance (UKEF), the British government agency. The intergovernmental agreement will not only ensure the supply of the weapons but also the transfer of technology and the establishment of their production in Ukraine.
According to the UK Ministry of Defense, the 5,000 initially announced missiles will be manufactured in Great Britain. The project’s timeline aims for its implementation by 2030.
The strengthening of Ukraine’s defense capabilities comes at a critical moment, consolidating military cooperation with the United Kingdom and ensuring a strategic supply of air defense missiles for the country’s defense.
Lightweight multirole missile
The LMM (Lightweight Multirole Missile) is a lightweight air-to-air and air-to-ground multirole missile developed by the British company Thales.
It is designed to target airborne targets and, if necessary, armored vehicles.
The missile is 1.3 meters long, has a diameter of 76 mm, and weighs approximately 13 kg. It is equipped with a highly explosive fragmentation warhead or a tandem-shaped charge warhead.
The destruction range is up to 8 km when launched from an air platform and up to 6 km when launched from a ground or sea platform.
The missile speed exceeds Mach 1.5. The guidance system differs by version: laser guidance in version A, infrared seeker in versions B and C, and inertial guidance with GPS in version D.
The modular design allows the LMM to be adapted to different combat missions and platforms, including drones.
Source and images: Rustem Umerov/ Wikimedia / DefenceHQ. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
