UK to Send Novel Mobile Air Defense System to Ukraine
Ukraine is set to receive a recently-developed ground-based air defense system from the UK to shore up defenses against Russian attacks.
A total of 15 Gravehawk systems will be delivered to the country this year as part of a record 4.5 billion pounds ($5.51 billion) in defense aid and a loan, London announced Thursday.
The rapidly-developed UK-designed system has been co-funded by Denmark.
“Ukraine’s security is our security. We must continue to do everything possible to ensure Ukraine is in the strongest position – that is why the UK is going further than ever before, ramping up military and humanitarian support,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.
“The British people have never wavered in their support for Ukraine, and today, UK firms are stepping up to support Ukraine’s military capabilities.”
Gravehawk
Not much has been disclosed about the new ground-based system, which is said to be the size of a shipping container.
It employs a range of air-to-air missiles as effectors, including those already in the arsenal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a UK government press release stated.
“With Ukraine under constant Russian bombardment, the Gravehawk system will boost Ukraine’s air defences, allowing them to defend their cities, troops and critical infrastructure,” the press release added.
A pair of prototypes have already been tested in Ukraine in September.
The delivery will complement Ukraine’s already stretched short-range air defense system, ranging from the basic anti-aircraft guns to the more sophisticated, but in short-supply, NASAMS.
Previous Solutions
A similar mobile air defense system was sent to Ukraine in 2023, comprising a modified SupaCat truck-based launcher and AIM-132 ASRAAM short-range air-to-air missiles.
Moreover, Ukraine has also received dozens of SupaCat-based systems that fire Brimstone-2 air-to-ground, anti-armor missiles.
In addition, the Pentagon-initiated FrankenSAM air defense solution has also been deployed in the country, which has been made using donated parts of disparate air defense systems.
The improvised solutions are intended to plug Ukraine’s diverse short-range air defense requirements as the more sophisticated systems such as the NASAMS are in short supply.
Out of a pledged eight systems, the US was able to deliver only a couple to Ukraine by early last year.
The delay is attributed to a long production backlog amid growing global demand for the Raytheon-Kongsberg system.