The United Kingdom is buying 5,000 Lightweight Multirole Missiles from arms firm Thales—and plans to donate them to Ukraine. The 13-kg LMM, fired one at a time from a shoulder launcher, ranges as far as 8 km under infrared guidance.
The 5,000 missiles, built at Thales’ Belfast factory, could cost as much as $3.4 billion. The UK government announced it will loan the money to the Ukrainian government—with generous repayment terms spread over 19 years.
The LMM buy, first floated in March, “is not only a major boost to the U.K.’s defense capabilities but will also keep Ukraine in the fight, boosting their defense against Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion,” the government in London stated.
But 5,000 missiles alone can’t keep Ukraine in the fight for very long. Russia is already overwhelming Ukraine’s air-defenses with vast numbers of explosive drones.
The LMM is just the thing to shoot down a relatively low- and slow-flying target such as Russia’s 200-kg Shahed attack drones, which range thousands of miles with 90-kg warheads.
At total cost of 3.4 billion, that comes to 680k per missile. If numbers are right certainly not cost effective way to take out Shaheds.