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UK Sends Ukraine 5,000 Deadly Martlet Missiles
The United Kingdom just put some serious muscle behind Ukraine’s air defense. London has committed to sending 5,000 Martlet interceptor missiles to Kyiv, giving Ukraine more ammo and more options against Russia’s relentless drone and missile barrages.
But this isn’t just a one-off shipment — this deal also lays the groundwork for localized production in Ukraine, ensuring a steady supply of these battlefield workhorses well into the future.
On March 2, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense confirmed that the UK is financing the delivery of 5,000 Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM) — better known as Martlet missiles — along with RapidRanger launchers through a loan from UK Export Finance (UKEF).
This is part of a bigger air defense enhancement project running through 2030, which will see a transfer of technology and localized production inside Ukraine.
This means Kyiv won’t have to rely entirely on Western shipments — it’ll be able to crank out these missiles domestically.
The specifics of the local production plan remain under wraps, but what we do know is that Thales, the UK-based defense giant that manufactures the Martlet, will be involved. And given that Ukraine’s defense industry has been steadily ramping up joint ventures with European manufacturers, this move is a…
