The UK government has delivered several hundred air defense missiles to Ukraine—five months earlier than planned.
The shipment is part of a £1.6 billion ($2.13 billion) agreement finalized earlier this year for over 5,000 missiles produced by Thales at its Belfast plant.
Known as Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMMs) or Martlet, the weapons have been actively used by Ukrainian forces against Russia since 2022.
The program is generating 200 new jobs and sustaining around 700 existing positions across the UK defense sector.
Each laser-guided missile has a range exceeding 6 km (3.7 mi) and reaches speeds up to Mach 1.5 (about 1,850 km/h). It can be fired from land, sea, or air platforms, effectively targeting vehicles, coastal craft, drones, and military installations.
Since the invasion began, hundreds of LMMs have helped Ukraine neutralize numerous Russian drones and aerial threats.
Additionally, the UK–Ukraine LYRA initiative is advancing collaborative defense technologies, including interceptor drones under Project OCTOPUS, which aims to produce thousands of units monthly.
