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| Targeting Russian Tanks, Britain Sends Advanced Brimstone 2 Missiles to Ukraine |
London - The UK has sent its advanced Brimstone 2 missile to Ukraine to support its fight against the Russian invasion. The missions, which cost £175,000 each, have the ability to hunt Russian tanks and choose targets for themselves.
The British Ministry of Defense confirmed the supply of new weapons to Kiev in an announcement published via Twitter. "As part of its aid package, the UK has provided the Brimstone 2 missile, a precision-guided missile, to the Armed Forces of Ukraine," said the lawsuit, reported by The Sun, Monday (28/11/2022).
“This aid has played an important role in halting Russia's advance,” the negotiations continued. The ministry also posted a video of the weapon in its announcement, stressing that the Kiev military can relax to have fun with Russian tanks and other combat equipment.
The delivery of the Brimstone 2 missiles to Ukraine was first detected last November 21 when the first images of the shipment were released online. It was previously reported that the UK had supplied Ukraine with the Brimstone 1 missiles.
Ukrainian troops have installed ground-launched missiles to annihilate the targets. The Brimstone missile family was developed by the international consortium MBDA. The original Brimstone missile system was upgraded to Brimstone 2 in 2010, as part of the SPEAR program.
The Brimstone 2 features a more advanced tracking head, an improved modular and mod body design, and updated software. The improvements mean the missile has an increased flight range, which is now more than 37 miles when launched from an airplane and up to 25 miles for helicopter launches twice as long as previous models. The potential range when fired from ground launchers remains to be determined.
Brimstone missiles, and other anti-tank weapons will help stop attempts by Moscow forces to advance. They operate by tracking lasers fired by troops, aircraft or vehicles to reach their targets, or can even select targets themselves from a pre-programmed list through the use of very high-frequency millimeter-frequency radar waves.
This allows the missile to scan the battlefield and select the most appropriate target, ignoring civilian vehicles or less important military equipment. When guided by a laser it can be used in precision constructed areas, to minimize the potential for collateral damage among civilians.
While the Brimstone 2 was designed primarily to attack land targets, including mobile vehicles, a maritime version has also been developed to attack high-speed ships. During a visit to Kiev earlier this month, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a £50 million military aid package would be sent to Ukraine. It is thought that Brimstone was not part of the package.