Shorts Starstreak Missile

NMaude said:
That makes sense, they give the old but still viable stock to Ukraine saving the UK MoD the time and money required to de-mill time-expired
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To be honest there won't be any close to time expired. I'd expect most of the current stockpile to be <5 years old...if not younger...
 
xena said:
Why UK purchases LMM as a MANPADS and not Starstreak?
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Buying LMM doesn't exclude future Starstreak purchases, as the launchers support both missiles, but I suspect LMM is priority as it is cheaper and is sufficiently capable against UAVs, which are the volume threat at present.

Mach 1.5 is more than adequate against a Shaheed, no need for Mach 3+.
 
xena said:
Why UK purchases LMM as a MANPADS and not Starstreak?
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LMM is a cheaper more versatile weapon albeit it slower, whereas Starstreak is optimised as an aircraft killer. It’s unclear as to if more Starstreaks have been produced/purchased, in 2022 the line was said to be near closure, but I don’t believe it has been.
 
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Grey Havoc said:
Cheaper yes, not necessarily more flexible. Starstreak has a very handy indeed secondary anti-tank capability, for example.
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Depends how much the threat your facing needs a contact/prox fuse Armour Piercing/frag warhead compared to a direct hit with a small high KE body, albeit with a small contact detonated charge. I like the interoperability of launcher so long as both missiles are available.
 
xena said:
Why UK purchases LMM as a MANPADS and not Starstreak?
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LMM is supplementary to Starstreak. Better for dealing with targets that need a proximity fused warhead, and for slower targets. Starstreak will continue to be used against fast air and AH.

There will be a new order for Starstreak 2/3 in the near future...
 
Well it looks like Ukraine will be receiving in the near future a shitload of Martlet missiles, from Defense Updates:


Ukraine is set to get a significant capability boost with the help of Britain.
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The UK has pledged over $213 million in new military aid to Ukraine, with the initial delivery of 650 Martlet or Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) to bolster Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression.
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British Defence Secretary John Healey made the announcement during his first appearance at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) meeting, held at the US Air Force Base in Ramstein. At this 24th gathering of the group, Healey reaffirmed the UK's unwavering support for Ukraine and urged international partners to maintain the flow of essential equipment for Ukraine's defense.
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In this video, Defense Updates analyzes why Russia should be worried about the supply of British Martlet missiles to Ukraine?
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#defenseupdates #ukrainekurskoffensive #ukrainerussiawar
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Chapters:
00:11 INTRODUCTION
01:50 PACKAGE
04:04 MARTLET OVERVIEW
06:01 ANALYSIS
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"Thales in the UK, in collaboration with the UK Ministry of Defence, has successfully delivered a consecutive firing of Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM) at both air and sea targets. This firing was a first of its kind and demonstrates Thales’ expertise in the air defence and surface attack domain, with LMM pioneering the way in short range defence, providing a seamless back-to-back engagement of incoming threats, proving the true versatility and multi-role applications of the missile. "
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcDRso_0zMo
 
Wes O'Donnell has put out a video about the Starstreak and I love how the title calls it a "Mach 3 Murder Pencil":


The Starstreak High Velocity Missile rides a laser beam, accelerates past Mach 3, and releases three tungsten darts that hit the target before they detonate. And Ukraine has them.​
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Most missiles chase heat. Flares fool them. Russia spent fifty years perfecting that countermeasure. Britain spent that same time building a missile that doesn't care. Flares don't appear on a laser path. Infrared jamming doesn't either.​
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In this video: how laser beam-riding guidance makes Starstreak unjammable by conventional countermeasures, why the Stormer HVM platform is now hunting Shaheds and Lancets in addition to helicopters, and what happens when you integrate a Mach 3 Starstreak into Ukraine's layered drone defense.​
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Video Sources: Thales, UATV, and BFBS
#UK #Starstreak #Military #UkraineWar #Geopolitics #MilitaryTechnology #Ukraine #NATO #BritishArmy
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Well Ukraine has 6,000 new Martlets coming its' way, from Wes O'Donnell:


Britain just bought more Martlet missiles RAF Regiment servicemen used them in real Middle East operations against real Iranian drones and ran through their stock. More than 100 drone shootdowns later, two new contracts worth £36 million were signed in April and May 2026 for hundreds more. Ukraine has 6,000 of the same missile headed its way, for exactly the same reason Britain bought more.​
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In this video: how Martlet's laser beam-riding guidance makes it specifically suited to the drone threat, why Britain's combat record matters more than any range test, and what 6,000 missiles actually add to Ukraine's layered air defense stack. Deliveries are already underway, RapidRanger is already visible in Ukrainian service, and the additional 1,000 announced in February 2026 appears intended for delivery to Ukraine on an urgent 2026 timeline.​
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Video Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i...https://www.youtube.com/redirect?ev...JjJ-jEKTGCyt5I/edit?usp=sharing&v=fzLjZqgZNCc
#Ukraine #UkraineWar #uk #british #militarytechnology #Military #LMM #AirDefense #DroneWarfare
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