The UK plans to deliver the first batch of 650 multipurpose Martlet missiles to Ukraine for air defense by the end of this year. A statement from the UK Ministry of Defense values the contract at approximately $213 million.
“The UK will deliver 650 LMM missiles under a contract worth £162 million to support Ukraine’s air defense,” the statement said.
British Defense Minister John Healey will officially announce the missile assistance package for Kyiv during the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting at the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Friday, September 6.
The statement also indicated that the first batches of artillery shells, totaling £300 million (about $395 million), will begin arriving in Ukraine from the UK by the end of this year.
The Martlet (LMM) missile, is equipped with laser guidance. Thales Air Defence, a French company, develops it for the United Kingdom. This multipurpose guided missile can be for use on helicopters, boats, and land platforms, as well as in portable anti-aircraft systems.
The LMM missile features a cylindrical body and a pointed nose section. Near the nose cone are fixed control fins, while the rear section houses foldable stabilizers. The guidance system and the warhead are located in the missile’s forward compartment, while the engine occupies the tail section. The missile’s length without the transport and launch container (TPC) is 1.3 meters, with an external diameter of 76 mm and a weight of 13 kg.
A combined guidance system, consisting of tail-mounted laser receivers and an optical seeker under the nose cone, equips the missile. It operates in several modes. The missile can follow a laser beam, similar to the Starstreak system, or land on a laser-illuminated target. The seeker activates its infrared mode during the final phase of the trajectory.
The missile carries a 3 kg shaped-charge fragmentation warhead. A laser proximity fuse triggers the detonation, and sensor windows are located behind the nose cone. Specific details about the shaped charge jet and the fragmentation pattern have not been disclosed. Reports indicate that the LMM effectively targets both airborne targets and armored ground vehicles.
The Martlet project uses a two-stage solid-fuel engine. It accelerates the missile to only 1.5 Mach but ensures controlled flight over a range of 8 km. It is believed that the reduced speed not only improved the missile’s range but also simplified the control and guidance process.
