British soldiers have sorted and packed 84,000 surplus helmets bound for the Ukrainian military in just two weeks.
According to a British Army news release here, thirty members of the Midlands’ based “Poachers” from 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, have been hard at work for the last week and are now in the final push to pack up all the helmets by Friday.
“Working from morning until night, the Cottesmore based troops are currently ensconced in a huge stores warehouse at MOD Donnington in Shropshire, where the surplus supplies have been shipped from military stores from across the UK. The task includes physically stripping the helmets of any British Army webbing or identifying badges and packing them in crates each holding 100 of the life-saving pieces of head gear.
The slick logistical operation saw the helmets collated and processed by Team Leidos staff employed under Defence Equipment and Support’s Logistics and Services Transformation (LCST) programme. The soldiers process up to 12,000 helmets a day packing the 100 helmets into giant cardboard boxes ready for Team Leidos to transport to Poland for onward distribution to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”
This is not the first time that the UK has supplied helmets to Ukraine. In 2014 the UK supplied the Ukrainian Armed Forces with hundreds of Mk7 helmets together with earlier Mk6 and Mk6A helmets, which were used by the Ukrainian service personnel during the war in Eastern Europe.
You can read more about this directly from the British Army here.
What else has Britain sent?
Britain has so far sent more than 6,900 new anti-tank missiles, additional consignments of Javelin anti-tank missiles, air defence systems including Starstreak anti-air missiles, 1,360 anti-structure munitions and 4.5 tonnes of plastic explosives.
The information was provided by Leo Docherty, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (jointly with the Ministry of Defence), you can read the information below.
“The United Kingdom strongly condemns the appalling, unprovoked attack President Putin has launched on the people of Ukraine. We continue to stand with Ukraine and continue to support its right to be a sovereign, independent and democratic nation. The United Kingdom and our allies and partners are responding decisively to provide military and humanitarian assistance. This includes weapons that help Ukraine’s heroic efforts to defend itself.
We have sent more than 6,900 new anti-tank missiles, known as NLAWs—next-generation light anti-tank weapons—a further consignment of Javelin anti-tank missiles, eight air defence systems, including Starstreak anti-air missiles, 1,360 anti-structure munitions and 4.5 tonnes of plastic explosives.
As Ukraine steadies itself for the next attack, the UK is stepping up efforts to help its defence. As we announced on 26 April, we will be sending 300 more missiles, anti-tank systems, innovative loitering munitions, armoured fighting vehicles and anti-ship systems to stop shelling from Russian ships. The United Kingdom has confirmed £1.3 billion of new funding for military operations and aid to Ukraine. This includes the £300 million the Prime Minister announced on 3 May for electronic warfare equipment, a counter-battery radar system, GPS jamming equipment and thousands of night-vision devices.
The Ministry of Defence retains the humanitarian assistance taskforce at readiness; its headquarters are at 48-hours readiness, and the remainder of the force can move with five days’ notice, should its assistance be requested. The UK has pledged £220 million of humanitarian aid for Ukraine, which includes granting in kind to the Ukraine armed forces more than 64,000 items of medical equipment from the MOD’s own supplies. We are ensuring that the UK and our security interests are secured and supporting our many allies and partners, especially Ukraine.”
Disgusting. They should each be fitted with a twin Brimstone launcher. FFBNW strikes again. I’m outraged by these endless cuts. Oh got to go now Nurse is back and she can’t realise I know where she hides the computer. 😳😳
A very valuable contribution. A saddening number of participants in photos seem to be helmet-less whilst they seem to me, a non military person, to be a vital form of protection in an artillery battle with lots of shrapnel flying around.
Most if not all the surrendering soldiers coming out of Azovstal yesterday and today are without helmets in the videos, so either they left them behind or they didn’t have them.
You reply to yourself nowadays but never any one’s questions or challenges when you post RT propaganda! And this may come as a shock, the old Mk6/7 aren’t needed, firstly in a bunker and secondly they reduce your hearing and situational awareness! But im sure you are fully aware of the Rapists army helmet capabilities!
Well we dont need them anymore.
Probably difficult if not impossible to recycle so best sent where they can be of use.
Give them to the Russian rapists as the helmet is the first thing they throw away to reduce weight as the run away! They will need many more as they do a lot of running!
Many are rightly critical of aspects of U.K. public policy, yet my impression is that, as far as the invasion of Ukraine in concerned, Blighty has come up with the goods when needed. This is the ‘bread and butter’ that will help Ukraine’s stated ambition to massively increase its militia and civilian capacity to resist. It’s sure and steady response, not just a publicity gesture. Unstated here – thankfully – is other real time battlefield critical support. None of this is wasted; the Ukrainians have shown exemplary determination and courage in the face of aggression that is inspiring.
The open handedness of the UK and US shows where real decency lies. Many others in Europe should take a good look at themselves.
OMG what a boring job. A task for the Crows, Nigs, FNG’s or whatever the new guys in the unit are called across the services. 😀
Crows lol
Not the right place so apologies but I can’t be the only one who’s thinking Putin now getting involved on a more tactical level is reminiscent of Old Adolf dipping his oar in.
Its either batshit crazy times or there’s a sense that this is coming to an end and Putin is looking to put his stamp on his ‘victory’ however he is going to dress that up.
Agreed
Let’s hope he takes a trip to the front, like many of his generals before him.
😂😂😂 I like the way you think Jon. Save a few quid trying to bribe an Oligarch to do it.
And Stalin…
“…reminiscent of Old Adolf dipping his oar in.” And Stalin. All dictators know better than their Generals, don’t they?
So it seems mate. I guess you have to have some ego to become a dictator. I mind Chavez inviting Gaddafi to go and stay in Venezuela with his big bag of swag but Gaddafi rather staying… That didn’t end well for him.
The Poachers knocked out a video regards the above
After I came across the above vid, It made me wonder how good the Mk6 is, so thanks to the wonderful world of youtube I came across a website where they actually test different Helmets
Point to note the Mk6 came out in 1984 and was replaced by the Mark 6A in 2005, which in turn was replaced by the Mark 7 in 2009 (which they also test (most Impressed) which has been replaced by the Revision Military Batlskin Cobra Plus helmet which I havent had the pleasure of been issued and wearing
The mk7 looks tough even around the rim, Out of curiosity how much do they weigh?
I was shocked by the poor performance of the Mk6.
Although they were good for their time and apart from really modern helmets none of them were really designed to protect from rounds, only shrapnel. After all how likely is it you are going to have someone shot in the head with a pistol on a battlefield ( I used to shoot pistols and it’s hard, they are heavy, require expertise on trigger action and kick, anyone that aims for a persons head is aiming to miss and you will only hit a moving target on luck anyway, they are personal protection weapons not weapons of war) and no helmet I’m aware of has ever been rated for protection against a military rifle.
i just surprised we didn’t send them bearskins Lol. they are clearing there storage dumps
I’m assuming these will be Mk6 and Mk6As ?
The British army does seem to have a lot of old helmets stashed away.
The article states Mk7 along with older Mk6 and Mk6a.
I’m surprised around the Mk7 I thought that was still being issued.
The successor, a Virtus helmet by Revision Military of Quebec started to be issued in 2016.
You Know all those hangers full of Boots that fall apart and helmets that the straps fall off. well bugger me they are empty
fancy that imagine sending poor kit to troops,