The United Kingdom Defense Secretary Ben Wallace announced that the government decided to supply M270 multiple-launch rocket systems to Ukraine. Wallace said the latest rocket system would help Ukraine defend itself against the Russian offense. Furthermore, the U.K. administration didn’t confirm how many weapons it sends, but BBC news predicts that initially, it will be three.
UK defense secretary Ben Wallace announced that the government would send M270 multiple-launch rocket systems to Ukraine to help the country defend itself against Russian aggression. The rockets have the capability to strike targets up to 80km away with precision-guided rockets. pic.twitter.com/AwYncLEiBP
— Live News Now (@LiveNewsNow6) June 6, 2022
The United States also coordinated with the decision, but Russia showed its anger at the U.S. move. Additionally, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to expand its list of targets in Ukraine if Western nations sent long-range weapons to Ukraine. Britain’s government said the Kyiv military force would be trained to use the rocket launchers in the United Kingdom in the coming few weeks.
Announcing the move, Wallace said that Britain was leading in supplying the Ukrainian military with the critical weapons they needed to defend their nation from unjustified invasion. Further, he said that as Russian strategies change, so they must give their support to Ukraine.
He added that these capable rocket systems would enable Ukrainians to better protect themselves against the violent use of long-range weaponry, which the Russian president uses indiscriminately to destroy Ukrainian cities. The BBC’s defense correspondent Jonathan Beale said that the United States and the United Kingdom led the way in supplying artillery to Ukraine but giving it unconventional long-range rockets marks a significant move.
M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System
- Range: up to 185 miles (300km)
- Rate of Fire: 18 Rounds per minute (rockets), two rounds per min (missiles)
- Weight: 25 tones
- Crew: 3
- Speed: 40 mph (64 km/h)
The United Kingdom’s multiple launch rocket system can fire twelve surface-to-surface missiles within one minute and strike targets within fifty miles (eighty kilometers) within point accuracy – far further than the weaponry Ukraine currently possesses. Moreover, it is similar to the system the United States is sending, the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).
Source: Web
The Biden government announced last week that it would send four HIMARS multiple rocket launchers to Ukraine – following the delivery of guarantees they would use them for defensive purposes only and not to hit targets inside Russia. On the other hand, Putin said what the United States was supplying was nothing new. Instead, he warned against giving missiles with longer ranges.
Read Also: US Rocket System Supply Adds Fuel to War Fire – Russia
