TSAMTO, April 20. According to the British media, the UK will transfer armored self-propelled launchers of the Starstrik short-range air defense system to Ukraine.
As stated, the air defense systems should ensure the protection of units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from low-altitude aircraft and helicopters of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
According to The Sun, two weeks ago, the British Ministry of Defense demonstrated the use of SAMs to representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Salisbury Plain. A decision on delivery may be made in the near future, after which the 13-ton launchers will be loaded onto the VTA S-17 "Globemaster-3" aircraft and delivered to Ukraine within a few days.
The Starstrik air defense system is a turret with eight guides placed on a tracked self-propelled chassis of the FV433 Stormer armored vehicle with ready-to-launch missiles. Up to 12 more missiles can be inside the hull. A passive detection system with daytime and thermal imaging cameras is used to detect and track targets at any time of the day. Calculation of the complex – three people (driver, commander and operator).
The combat weight of the vehicle is 13.5 tons, the maximum speed when driving on the highway is up to 80 km / h, the power reserve is 600 km. The 14–kg Starstrik rocket is equipped with a solid–fuel launch accelerator, a two–stage solid-fuel main engine and an original warhead with three swept striking elements of individual guidance with its own high-explosive warhead. The missile is capable of reaching speeds of up to 3M, hitting targets at ranges of 1.5-7 km and altitudes of up to 5 km. Guidance is carried out by a laser beam.
According to the former commander of British troops in Afghanistan, Colonel Richard Kemp, the combination of "Stormer" /"Starstrik" will significantly strengthen the combat capability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
