• AMRAAM rockets will be provided for use with NASAMS air defence systems pledged by the US.
• They are the first UK missiles capable of shooting down cruise missiles.
• Announcement comes days after Russian missiles struck civilian targets in cities across Ukraine.

The United Kingdom will donate cutting-edge air defence missiles to Ukraine to help protect against Russian missile strikes, the Defense Secretary announced today.

The AMRAAM rockets, which will be delivered in the coming weeks for use with the NASAMS air defence systems pledged by the US, are the first capable of shooting down cruise missiles donated by the UK.

The rockets will aid in the protection of Ukraine’s critical national infrastructure, with the announcement coming just days after Russian missiles struck civilian targets in cities across the country.

Hundreds of additional air defence missiles of other types will be donated as part of the package, as will hundreds of additional aerial drones to support Ukraine’s information gathering and logistics capabilities, and an additional 18 howitzer artillery guns, in addition to the 64 already delivered.

[embedpost slug=”rockets-rain-down-on-ukraine-zelensky-requests-a-air-shield-from-the-g7/”]

Strengthening Ukraine’s air defences has been and continues to be a priority for UK military assistance. So far, we’ve supplied a wide range of air defence systems, including Stormer vehicles outfitted with Starstreak launchers and hundreds of anti-air missiles.

Ben Wallace made the announcement ahead of a NATO Defence Ministers meeting in Brussels today (Thursday, October 13), where Allies met on the sidelines yesterday to discuss additional support for Ukraine. It also comes as Ukraine prepares to honour veterans and fallen soldiers on Defenders Day, which will be observed tomorrow (Fri 14 Oct).

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

“Russia’s latest indiscriminate strikes on civilian areas in Ukraine warrant further support to those seeking to defend their nation. So today I have authorised the supply of AMRAAM anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine.”

“These weapons will help Ukraine defend its skies from attacks and strengthen their overall missile defence alongside the US NASAMS.”

In addition, the UK will contribute £10 million to NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine. The funds will be used to provide non-lethal aid to Ukraine, such as winter clothing, shelters, generators, fuel trucks, and ambulances for the Ukrainian Army ahead of the winter.

The Defence Secretary will urge his NATO counterparts to continue to support Ukraine indefinitely. They will assess the effectiveness of decisions made at the Madrid Summit to strengthen NATO’s collective deterrence and defence. Finland and Sweden will be attending as official invitees for the first time.

They will also discuss defence industrial capacity to ensure that allies can increase munitions stockpiles so that we can continue to support Ukraine while remaining ready to defend NATO territory.

Defence Ministers will discuss recent Nord Stream pipeline sabotage as well as how the Alliance can protect critical infrastructure from future attacks.

In response to the attacks, NATO Allies increased their presence in the Baltic and North Seas, increasing security around key infrastructure across multiple domains, including satellites, ships, submarines, maritime patrol aircraft, and anti-drone systems.

[embedpost slug=”war-in-ukraine-un-general-assembly-denounces-annexation-by-russia/”]