Ukrainian troops will arrive in Britain soon for training with the British military, the UK Government has confirmed.

Minister James Heappey said the UK would step up its support for Ukraine’s military, he told LBC Radio today:

“There’s 120 armoured vehicles that are in the process of being made ready. The Ukrainian troops that will operate them will arrive in the UK in the next few days to learn how to drive and command those vehicles.”

Host Nick Ferrari asked:

“That’s tremendous, so we’re going to be training Ukrainian blokes and women on our kit here in the UK?”

Heappey responded: “Yes.”

Mr Heappey also said in an interview with the BBC:

“There are more shoulder-launched anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles that we are sending as well as loitering precision munitions, and as you heard the Prime Minister say at the weekend, we’re also sending an anti-ship capability as well.”

Britain has been training Ukrainian troops for some time already, since 2015. Operation Orbital is the code-name for a British military operation to train and support the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was launched in response to the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea.

Ukraine praises ‘wonderful, powerful’ Britain as ‘most sincere friend’

What has the UK done for Ukraine?

The following is an open-source list of aid measures.

Military Aid

  • Trained 22,000 Ukrainian troops since 2015 as part of Operation Orbital.
  • Sale of two Sandown-class minehunters.
  • £1.7bn agreement to support the acquisition of eight missile craft and one frigate.
  • Delivered “thousands” of NLAW and Javelin anti-armour weapons. Stated to be over 4,000 as of 16 March 2022.
  • £25 million in financial backing for the Ukrainian military.
  • Unspecified further military aid, on 28 February 2022.
  • Unspecified number of Javelin anti-tank missiles, on 10 March 2022.
  • The UK announced a further 6,000 defensive missiles will be sent to Ukraine, on 24 March 2022.
  • Starstreak man-portable air-defence systems.
  • UK announced the supply of an unspecified amount of “armoured vehicles and long-range artillery” to Ukraine, on 31 March 2022, on 9 April a figure of 120 armoured vehicles was given along with an unspecified number of anti-ship missiles.
  • British Army donates 84,000 helmets to Ukraine.
  • UK announced an additional £100 million in military aid, on 8 April. This includes further Starstreak missiles, 800 NLAW, Javelin anti-tank missiles & precision loitering munitions. Further Military helmets, night-vision equipment and body armour will be provided on top of 200,000 pieces of non-lethal military equipment supplied so far.
  • Deployment of RC-135W Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft to provide information on size and position of Russian forces.
  • ISTAR (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance) support, both standalone and in partnership with the United States.

Financial Aid

  • 23 February pledged £3.5bn in UK export financing, underwrote $500m in MLDB borrowing and provided a £100m loan via the World Bank for economic development.
  • 23 March UK donated $100m directly to the Ukrainian government budget to mitigate financial pressures created by Russia’s unprovoked and illegal invasion.
  • 9 April UK increased its World Bank loan guarantees to £730m ($1bn).

Humanitarian Aid

  • £100 million of humanitarian aid announced on 23 February 2022.
  • £40 million additional humanitarian aid announced on 27 February 2022.
  • Additional £80 million in aid to help Ukraine deal with humanitarian crisis on 1 March 2022.
  • £4 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine on 28 February 2022.
  • £4 million combined package of financial and humanitarian aid, announced on 1 March 2022.
  • UK announced “supplies of rations, medical equipment and other non-lethal military aid will also be increased” on 10 March 2022.
  • On 14 March 2022, the UK government announced plans to provide vital energy support to Ukraine through the Ukraine Electricity Network Support Taskforce. The UK donated more than 500 mobile generators.
  • £2 million in vital food supplies for areas of Ukraine encircled by Russian forces.
  • UK announced the donation of a “fleet of ambulances” to Ukraine, on 6 April 2022.
  • UK announced the amount it had donated through multilateral donor conferences for humanitarian aid totaled £394m so far on 9 April.

 

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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192 COMMENTS

  2. Maybe we won’t just be training them to operate Mastiff. Genuinely hope we don’t find out until this war is won by Ukraine. I know in the modern age of social media it’s getting harder and harder to keep this kind of thing secret but let’s hope we are/can.

    • We it could mean that we have other things in the toy boxes that haven’t made the headlines or that what is already in the toy box has added functionality?

      Lets face it, the Russians are not the most tech or tactically competent opponents so decent kit that is in good shape should do the trick.

    • In my opinion we wouldn’t need to bring Ukrainians back to the uk to train them on how to use a vehicle such as Mastiff. This feels more like we are sending something in addition to Mastiff but there has been no official word on it. Maybe something like Scimitar or Scorpions if there are any stored?

        • Level 2 and Level 3 maintainer training is by far the more complex and time-consuming area of training.

          Passengers (aka dismounts) won’t need any training which would take more than an hour or so – it is the crew who would need operator and Level 1 maintainer training.

          • How long do the training take? I assume it’s not something that can be done in a couple of days.

          • I left REME in 2009, so am somewhat out of touch – assuming you start with Ukrainian army vehicle mechanics (VM) who have finished basic national trade training at least, then you need a module specific for the Mastiff vehicle – a thorough module might take a month given language problems, but I expect as time is of the essence they will cut it down to 10 days or 2 weeks – or mayb ea bit less.

            Vehicle electrics will have to be covered too – REME has not had a seperate trade for that for decades and I don’t know if the Ukrainians have Vehicle Electricians – if so they will need a module – otherwise it will be delivered to the VMs as part of the VMs package.

            If we gift the Mastiffs with electronic kit (including electro-optics) and /or radio kit then training to Ukrainian Electronics technicians would have to be given.

            If we gift the Mastiff with the British-origin pintle MG then maintainer training to armourer trades will have to be given.

            We would also have to give some training to Ukrainian Recovery Mechanics, if this is a seperate trade for them.

            The above training will be delivered at slower rate than to British REME personnel due to the language barrier – but chunks of syllabus may be cut out in the interest of saving time but only in the less essential areas.

      • Exactly. I hope we give the some GMLRS so the Ukrainians can shower the Russians with some steel rain. Apparently, Eastern Ukraine is wide open countryside so it would be ideal for wiping out concentrations of Russian armour, similar to what we saw in the deserts of Iraq in the first Gulf war.

      • What kit do we have stored ? CVRT ? Then what about Striker/Swingfire ? The speculation is fascinating but endless.

        • This is just it, the MOD don’t share equipment that’s in storage. There was FOI request that mentioned that they store stuff that’s still within its in service dates. After seeing the 50 leopard 1’s being handed over and BMPs already being sent it would be interested to see what the UK does seeing as we are one of the leaders in providing military aid

          • What they need is large quantities of ex Soviet stuff they are trained to use immediately and which uses Russian ammunition. As many T72s as many can be got there + spares. Don’t really understand the delay in getting the Polish T72s to Ukraine. Plus long range heavy Soviet artillery – 122mm and 152mm. I think the UK is brokering the deals needed.
            Farouk has posted that the Russians are gathering missiles – their equivalent of GLMRS. These are a real problem and could be decisive. Ukraine has no equivalent. The launchers are mobile. Without something like Typhoon with Spear 3 you would have to hunt them down with special forces.

          • Agreed. It’s impossible to know what is impossible to know. The only people with current knowledge of what is in storage will have signed the official secrets act. Potentially we could be training them on any system that has left service within the last 20 ? 30 ? or more years.

          • It would be interesting to know what is tucked away. trouble is would we still have all the spares for the equipment ? There some very old stuff that pop up at WITHAM SPECIALIST VEHICLES so maybe

          • Store stuff still in service date, is surely spin for we haven’t stored anything as it’s all out of service date or would be active service.

        • It could be that the Ukrainian response to overwhelming Russian bombardment in Donbas might benefit from a kind of guerrilla approach: 100 squads in a Mastiff with Javelins, Switchblade and Starstreak and maybe towing an artillery piece?

        • We won’t have stored any Striker – they were sold from about 2003 onwards, many being in private collector’s hands.

          • They were a brilliant bit of kit, reliable CVR(T) platform with 5 Swingfire (4,000m range) on the roof in raisable launch bins and 5 reloads inside.

            A real Strike weapon system of which all 48 were operated by RA (surprisingly) from ISD in 1976 then transferred to RAC to equip formation recce regiments.
            Never replaced, astonishingly.

            Crazy to think the Ajax family was never conceived of as having a similar variant – were recce forces hoping to kill tanks at 4,000m with a 40mm gun!!

      • I suspect it is for faster deployment time. As it is much faster to ferry people than armoured vehicles, Ukrainian troops can train on vehicle sets in the UK while the donated equipment is on its way to Ukraine. This would cut at least a few weeks off the timeline versus only beginning training after the donated equipment has arrived in-theatre.

      • Totally agree. Bravo UK!
        More likely Martlet training and ‘other’ unspecified systems ( loitering kit etc ) for the training 😉
        No way this is for Mastiff alone.

      • Mastiff, if issued to UK spec, is sophisticated in places. But it would make more sense to ship the 120 Mastiff to Poland and train the UKR there.

    • Give them Exactor and replace it with something else. Mounted on 4 x 4s they might be able to get mobile and close enough to take out some of that artillery the Russians will hammer them with.

  3. Sleepy Joe Biden will be wetting himself more than normal now! God forbid we upset that nice reasonable Mr putin 🙄

  4. “loitering precision munitions” – I’ve seen the coverage on the US sending switchblade, it looks like impressive kit but what does this mean in a UK context?

    • Maybe they don’t want to publicly say what they are. As well as sending Starstreak AA missiles in a very public way, apparently, on the QT, we sent them shoulder fired Martlet missiles as well.

      • There won’t be any QT behind this. Ukraine troops are playing the social media game, anything we donate will be instantly posted.

      • To answer my own question, after brief research it appears the British Army purchased a number of Switchblade systems in 2021. This seems to have been news which passed me by, but that now seems like the logical candidate for this transfer.

        • Yeah it was a small purchase for evaluation, UK can always order more and I understand the Ukrainians will be fielding the 600 before the US does as it hadn’t received any serial production units as of a month ago. Though there may be non-publicly announced British equipment of similar capability as well.

        • Agree Daniel. UK purchased some reasonable numbers of Switchblade 300 back in 2020 I think. There is a newer more capable 600 model that we probably have and this has “freed up” the donation to Ukraine for the 300.

          • Different roles, the 300 is like a guided mortar round (around $6000 a pop but will likely come down to around $3000 with increased production). 600 is anti-tank but too expensive to use against infantry (no published price yet but likely considerably more expensive as it uses the same warhead as a hellfire missile which costs $150,000.

        • Perhaps they and no doubt other non advertised weapons were for the special forces and are in the inventory and now being made available. Also doesn’t hurt to keep the Russians guessing esp in terms of ‘anti ship’ missiles which may become crucial vital if Odessa is targeted for occupation.

  5. These vehicles are going to need a huge amount of logistical support, spare parts and mechanics, familiar with them enough to keep them going in a war zone. Learning how to drive them is only the tip of the iceberg, really.

      • Yep thats my view. Position logistics support hubs on the NATO side of the border. Dare Putin and his crappy military to try to take them out without resorting in a massive NATO strategicair campaign that would bomb Russias military back into the stone age.

        • I suspect Russia would go nuclear in some way if NATO started to attack Russian military units on Russian soil. They have more or a hair trigger around the use of tactical nuclear weapons.

          • Can you disprove it? That is the issue with MAD, you can’t risk it. One nuke hitting London and you have 5-10m deaths, it’s not worth the gamble.

  6. As said on the other thread, assuming this war drags out bring their Navy lads a d engineers over and start reactivating / training on Monmouth and Montrose. The Ukrainians need some naval punch.

    • I’m not sure they could even get them back to Ukraine. Turkey has shut the straits to belligerent warships that aren’t homeported in the Black Sea I believe.

    • If we can get the harpoon to work based on a test laptop plugged into a testbed launcher like solution that would be good …

      Can the UK supply anti-ship missiles to Ukraine? | Navy Lookout

      Means we have even less for us but if these are stock that are out of certification dates still worth lobbing at Russian boats as will keep them back/away from the action and not able to resuply.

      The biggest thing is we could work out the Ukrainians how to resupply Mariupol but that seems like it is about to go.

      • The latest US aid package includes armed Mi-17 helos. I think helicopter has been the only route for resupply of Ukrainian troops in Mariupol.
        The Russian have split the Ukraine forces into 2 pockets, one of which looks like it has run out of ammo and surrendered.

      • Not if ”our” shore based missiles can vectored onto them. That then opens the Russians up to the ship based harpoons as well. I’m not Navy tis true, but, I seem to remember some upstart colonists handed the Royal Navy its arse just over 200 years ago 😉

        Should the Russian Navy be as dire as the Airforce and Army, miracles could happen 🙂

        Of course, the other course is attack on their SLOCs in the North Sea, it would draw off a huge effort from the Russians.

        Choices, choices.

        • I’m not sure handing them their arse is fair. The US navy managed individual victories against individual RN ships that were essentially out numbered two to one. An RN 5 rate was a completely different beast to an American heaven frigate, which was essentially constructed as effectively a single deck ship of the line. In essence the American navy gained local superiority and if the RN 5 rate was unable to evade it was done for. When the RN and US Navy engaged with similar rated ships the RN tended to win, a good example is USS Chesapeake vs HMS Shannon June 1 1813. The RN 5 rate handed the USS fifth rate its arse.

          In the end the reality was the US could not take advantage of British Overstreatch caused by the Nepolonic wars and the campaign against Canada failed, in the main because they had no way to actually gain navel superiority in the western North American cost, just some local victories due the the specific character of their heavy frigates ( which were infact conceptually similar to the later German pocket battle ships, the super heavy cruiser concept).

        • If you mean the War of 1812 then no. The US won a few ship on ship battles – and lost some too. They were also somewhat successful early on with privateers. But when the RN applied the blowtorch it crippled the US and practically bankrupted it. The war was a US strategic failure tbh.

          • Indeed one has to remember it was the Americans who sued for peace in that war they knew that it was only going to get worse from then on.

        • I think you are buying into the US version of the War of Independence, it really isn’t, like so much of ‘victor’ orientated writings the accurate version at all, indeed far from being a Colonial victory it was a combined victory of the French, Spanish and Dutch who declared war on Britain keeping the navy Europe focused combined with the shocking state of navy ships neglected after the game changing victories of the seven years war (which gained the Americas for the colonists and thereafter the cost involved in securing it that caused the later war) that fooled us into thinking we could cut back on defence spending and allowed the French to barricade ports…. Sounds familiar. Good news is as usual once we got our act together the French were routed in the West Indies and the orchestrator of those previous defeats captured and normal service restored. Yes a fair few lessons there we should have learned when we thought the Russians had become a non threat post Cold War.

    • They would never get much beyond the Sea of Marmara. As soon as they came out of the straits and beyond the Turkish waters the Black Sea fleet would murder them. Any navel engagement in such restricted waters against an enemy that would know exactly when and where you would appear is just the navel equivalent of walking battalions of men across no mans land into heavy machine guns.

      There are a few reasons that the great powers agreed to the montreux convention. One was forcing the Black Sea would simply be a quick way to loose whatever navel forces you used. The great powers new this and the montreux convention reflects this, The British government was a major player in setting the Convention and they would never have agreed to restricting RN access unless it was better for them to restrict everyone’s access.

      • People forget that Gallipoli was the direct result of the failure of the RN to to force passage through the states as it claimed would be a doddle… bit like Putin really. The shore batteries caused considerable damage to the fleet and forced it to retreat leading to the hastily put together plan B of a land invasion. Some interesting photos exist of warships being recovered under fire, it was nearly a catastrophe bar some considerable heroics. Plan C was the later Greek campaign, none of them went as planned and Churchill lost all credibility as a result.

  7. Could be absolutely anything. This is polcitjcal talk. The US give javlin, we give mlaw, the US gives stinger we give starstreak, the US gives switchblade we have the be seen to give something similar.

  8. Great to see us helping the Ukranians, compared to Putin’s puppets in Berlin

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/04/10/germany-refused-arms-companys-offer-refurbish-tanks-send-ukraine/?gaa_at=g&gaa_n=AYc4ysv0cEfdGbs7YGTpQ2FcrCwsrYOvBhy_ZYXeLgtuvjhL4xzKEbgQTyjIjsBA0jY%3D&gaa_ts=625584d8&utm_source=newsshowcase&utm_medium=discover&utm_campaign=nonpanel&gaa_sig=-AtbSBHCG2ey4ER2EhrXXXUCpZBNCiZEcTPPzpKxO2R2rJb5e4jg9FfEOLtRrva1EE3sKW2Cy-47toNWil-jdA%3D%3D

  9. Anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft missiles but he said anti-ship “capability”, what does that mean ? Call me a cynic but i have learned that what a politician doesn’t say is often as important as what they do say and they choose their words very carefully.

    • Trouble is I have seen so many errors and misunderstandings in statements from both politicians and civil servants that it wouldn’t surprise me if they consider Martlet an anti ship missile and I guess as the major concern after Mariupol goes will be a attempt to attack Odessa from the sea they certainly could be very effective against landing craft so in their eyes fit that bill.

    • Apart from the fact we don’t have any to spare. An M31 in airburst mode, vertical trajectory in the middle of a battery…….Ouch!

    • Shame we got rid of the most useful payload though, the cluster munitions were fantastic for taking out artillery batteries, a wide area being rendered incompatible with life.

    • It’s being reported that the US is sending 18 155mm howitzers and 40,000 rounds in Biden’s latest aid package.

  11. Talk about sending coal to Newcastle:(as reported by the Guardian)
    Russia ‘using weapons smuggled by Iran from Iraq against Ukraine’
    Russia is receiving munitions and military hardware sourced from Iraq for its war effort in Ukraine with the help of Iranian weapons smuggling networks, according to members of Iranian-backed Iraqi militias and regional intelligence services with knowledge of the process.

    RPGs and anti-tank missiles, as well as Brazilian-designed rocket launcher systems, have been dispatched to Russia from Iraq as Moscow’s campaign has faltered in the last month, the Guardian has learned. An Iranian-made Bavar 373 missile system, similar to the Russian S-300, has also been donated to Moscow by the authorities in Tehran, who also returned an S-300, according to a source who helped organise the transport. Using the weapons-trafficking underworld would signal a dramatic shift in Russian strategy, as Moscow is forced to lean on Iran, its military ally in Syria, following new sanctions triggered by the invasion of Ukraine……..

    Three cargo ships capable of carrying such loads – two Russian flagged and one Iranian flagged – crossed the Caspian Sea from Iran’s port of Bandar Anzali to Astrakhan, a Russian city on the Volga delta, within the timeframes outlined.
    “What the Russians need in Ukraine right now is missiles. These require skill to transport as they’re fragile and explosive, but if you are committed to doing it, it’s possible,” said Yörük Işık, an Istanbul-based maritime affairs expert. “It’s also not the kind of activity that would be picked up by satellite imagery as they can be transported in large boxes and regular shipping containers.” Mohaned Hage Ali, a fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center, said: “That kind of sophisticated weaponry [rocket launcher systems] would make a big difference on the ground in Ukraine. Ḥashd al-Shaabi controls much of the border region with Iran, which would make this transaction easier.

    “Other countries such as China are having to be very careful about giving weapons to Russia now, given the new sanctions situation. And Iran, as part of that axis, wants to make sure Russia doesn’t lose ground in this conflict.

    “If the Putin regime is destabilised that has huge implications for Iran, particularly in Syria, where Damascus is dependent on Russian air support and Russia coordinates to avoid direct conflict between them and Israel.” Extensive economic sanctions imposed on Moscow by western nations since the 24 February invasion have included bans on dual-use goods – items with a civilian and a military purpose – such as spare parts for vehicles and certain types of electronics and optical devices, as well as items with obvious military uses. Russian manufacturers have reportedly been hit hard by the new restrictions, with Ukraine saying that the country’s main armoured vehicle plant, as well as a tractor factory, have run out of parts for making and repairing tanks.

    • Two things.
      1st stuff in western arsenals is starting to run dry and all we are doing is donating, Russians must be burning through stock and theyve already asked China, Syria, India, North Korea and all their client states for help with munitions and so far only ones who have said they will help resupply Russia is North Korea.
      2nd, if this is demilitarising the Middle East getting weapons out of the hands of terrorists this is an indirect good thing to come out of the war.

  12. Whatever assets we are now training them in, and depending how long this goes on for, be prepared for British Army/NATO logistics, training and R&R hubs being based in Poland and Romania. This is an opportunity to cause Russia such attrition in men and machines that they become a zero conventional threat in the future (although going on there performance thus far they are pretty much there already). Big question, do we have serving SF assets in place, to assist and guide Ukranian forces in certain niche areas, not at this time, however do we have a number of recently time served, discharged SF lads currently on the ground on private contracts, yes we do. You do the math.

    And for the record well done HMG, well done NATO and bloody well done you Ukrainians in putting a serious stop to Putins fascist expansion polices. Now keep an eye on Donbass and the coast, its going to get much hotter very soon.

    • Bravo.

      I’d say we do. All well to the west and in regards to SF possibly a la Increment/E Sqn / UKN style. Deniable and not uniformed.
      “Contractors”

      As for our overall contribution, quite a list which puts others to shame.

      Most of our help can be done without people in country though, with targeting and real time intel stuff. Wyton would be a fascinating place to be right now.

      Glory to Ukraine.

      • Yes, even from down here in 🇦🇺 I’m damn proud of 🇬🇧 support for 🇺🇦, it’s president, people and armed forces! Let’s hope Ukraine’s forces can hang on in Mariupol and successfully counter-attack in the East and even in Crimea with Western support. And blow that bloody Kerch bridge off its hinges!!

  13. The caption on the main photo mentions British troops in the Ukraine in 2015, and shows a Ukrainian BTR-4. Does this mean that Ukraine has previously trained our soldiers on their armoured vehicles?

    • After the 2014 war the UK and US helped rebuild the Ukrainian army, training tens of thousands in basic and advanced infantry tactics.

    • Jon wrote:

      The caption on the main photo mentions British troops in the Ukraine in 2015, and shows a Ukrainian BTR-4.

      Its a BTR 60 and I’d hazard a guess at a BTR-60PB. The easiest way to recognise the BTR 60 is look at the exhaust if it is huge and at 45 degs it’s a 60 it also has no side doors
      The 70 has one side door (between 2nd and 3rd wheel) and the exhaust is less sloped
      The 80 has 2 side doors (Both sides between 2nd and 3rd wheel) and the exhaust is horizontal
      The 90 is the same as the 80, but it has replaced the single water jet found at the rear of all the rest by having a water jet behind each rear wheel.

      The BTR-4 can be easily recognised from the rest of the BTR fleet as it is the only BTR which has driver and passenger front side doors and rear doors for its dismounts. Like the 90 it also has a couple of water jets behind the rear wheels, finally the version making all the headlines in the Ukraine at the moment is the one fitted with a 30mm Grom module
      https://i.postimg.cc/hv9htrXs/04-RT19-2608.jpg
      Before anybody calls me a spotter, I did the Vehicle recognition instructors course at Larkhill. 

        • Yes, it’s fantastic isn’t it. I’m naff at Russian vehicles, wouldn’t know at T64 from a T72, never mind BTRs. Not so bad at aircraft!

          • Daniele wrote:

            wouldn’t know at T64 from a T72, 

            T64 has 6 very small wheels, T72 has 6 much larger ones
            T64 has exhaust at rear, T72 has its over the last wheel on the left side of the vehicle

    • Very good protection against ATGW’s and IED’s. Good protection against artillery fire. Downside poor cross country performance.

      • Thx. I don’t know anything about the off road terrain in the various regions of Ukraine at this time of year. Just speculating if it would be limited to on road use in benign areas like north of Kyiv to release IFVs for Donbass or whether it’s carrying capacity could bring some value when the battle for Donbass hots up; agile squads with Javelins, towed artillery, logistics, ambulance….

        • Think of them as very well protected trucks. Spot on about taking on some of the jobs of APC’s and leaving them free to do there stuff closer to the frontlines.

          • I see them bringing utility to the Northern sector if the lull persists. Of course, if the Ukrainians put these in harms way, they’ll go the way of all the humvees that were gifted to them and, more importantly, the trained blokes inside; just like the Battle of Britain, Spitfires were replaceable, the pilots were not.

    • Rather take my chances in one of these over the Hilux and transits some of them have been rolling around in, probably preferable to a bmp as well

    • Yes, Georgia looks very vulnerable squeezed in between Russia, the Stan’s and Iran. How could you get any aid to them? Via air?

        • No, russia has done the same as they did with Ukraine and supported/actively nipped of but of the County. Georgia is a real minnow that is strategically isolated and so has to run a knife as edge there is no one to back them up.

        • As it prevented Russia from crossing its territory to support Armenia not long back (the only real way to do so) I would suggest not. As it, like Ukraine for some time has expressed the desire to join NATO without any cancellation of that desire as far as I know in recent times I again suggest still not a fan of Russia. And as they well know they Would likely be one of the next targets to solve the Armenia problem above I am sure they are relieved at the present situation not going as planned.

  16. Think Sea Brimstone has been a matured design for quite some time. Ideal for the littoral if it could be brought online quickly enough, I’d have though. Powerful warhead. Also, have heard it can counter not just vessels but also their missiles, but no knowledge.
    Similarly, envisage Ceptor could be a possibility. Both can be defined as defensive, within the current western RoE, it appears. Not so sure to what extent Harpoon would tip that balance, though I’ve no issue with its use, if so decided.

  17. I hope they don’t mean AS90 given hardly any of them are working anymore and most are sat in the sheds with no engines or spares.

  18. Great news. And finally we are willing to arm them with heavier weapons to defend themselves. They need long range artillery and anti-ship missiles. They should have had them a long time ago.

  19. Ant-ship missiles are mentioned. Which anti-ship missiles? Are these the Harpoons the UK is going to withdraw without immediate replacement? If so, might our politicians realise that it is a capability worth retaining after all?

    • I wonder if Ukraine can rig some Brimstone’s or even Martlet’s onto those Turkish drones but I believe their payload is only 55kg? I think we’d all like to see that 8 mile long Russian convoy attacked and shot up to pieces as well as any Russian ships lying around.

  22. It really does make you wonder about what these Ukrainian lads are getting trained on. While it could be as simple as how to drive a Mastiff, I’m intrigued what anti ship stuff we’re giving/selling them.

    As a flippant aside, I’m looking forward to the Auf Wiedersehen Pet reboot.

  23. Hmm Ukranians fighting on home turf with the locals on their side, playing asymetric warfare against slow moving armoured columns. Shoot n scoot could cause havoc to the Ruskies. Even with DOUBLE the numbrs of troops the Russians cannot hold or control the Steppes. Providing Russia top cover is weak the defenders have the advantage, they can choose the killing ground.

  24. Side note: anyone else not getting email notifications when a reply is posted on the comments?
    Remedy or solution appreciated 👍

  25. EU been a waste of time no real union some helped others very look warm . Nothing like a true union more like a extremely expensive talk shop .

  26. Could the loitering munitions be the Fire Shadow weapons delivered by MBDA in about 2012 but never taken into service?

  27. This morning the Russian MoD announced that 1026 Ukrainian marines surrendered in Mariupol following a failed breakout attempt.

  29. The BBC is reporting on the latest US aid package to Ukraine. Talk of ‘nrw capabities’ for the upcoming wider fight. From the BBC:
    ‘ The shipment includes helicopters, backpack-worn Switchblade drones – also known as “kamikaze drones” – and howitzer cannons, armoured vehicles and other supplies ‘

    • President has been in talks with top US defence suppliers to discuss what can be manufactured and supplied. Let’s hope a lot.

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