Britain’s most advanced anti-aircraft missile shoots down Russian helicopter

telegraph.co.uk: Britain’s most advanced anti-aircraft missile, Starstreak, has shot down a Russian helicopter in its first deployment by Ukrainian forces after they were trained to use the Belfast-made weapon.

Video footage shows a Russian Mi-28N helicopter flying over the Luhansk region in the east of Ukraine being cut in two after it was struck by a missile.

A Ministry of Defence source confirmed to The Times that the missile shown in the video was the Starstreak system in action over the skies of Ukraine.

The source added that the anti-aircraft system had been deployed in Ukraine for almost a week.

Ukrainian media also reported that their armed forces had shot down the Russian helicopter with "the help of the most modern British Starstreak".

Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, announced last month that the UK was sending Starstreak to Ukraine to help Kyiv fight the Russian invasion.

Following requests for help from Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's President, Mr Wallace said that providing the anti-aircraft system would "allow the Ukrainian forces to better defend their skies".

Designed to destroy fighter jets and helicopters, Starstreak is the fastest short-range surface-to-air missile in the world, travelling at over Mach 3.

The missile uses three dart-like projectiles to allow multiple hits on a target.

It can be fired from the shoulder, from a lightweight multiple launcher or from armoured vehicles.

Once fired, the missile carrying the three darts uses a small charge to blast it clear of the launch tube. This motor cuts out before the missile has left the tube to prevent injury to the operator.

At about four metres from the soldier firing the weapon, a second booster fires to accelerate the missile rapidly to over Mach 3.

The missile homes in on the target aiming for two laser beams "painted" on the aircraft by the launch unit. All the soldier firing the weapon has to do is keep the target in the sights.

So far, the UK has supplied 4,000 next-generation anti-tank weapons (Nlaws) and Javelin anti-tank systems and pledged to send Starstreak air defence systems and 6,000 new anti-tank and high explosive missiles.