British RapidRanger Air Defense Systems Now Active in Ukraine Against Russian Aerial Targets

Ukraine is already using British RapidRanger air defense systems to intercept Russian aerial targets.

The systems were showcased by Ukraine’s Defence Minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, during a visit from Lithuanian Defence Minister, Robertas Kaunas.

Ukraine is developing a layered short-range air defense network that combines multiple types of systems.

The British short-range RapidRanger system has become part of Ukraine’s air defense network.

Last June, it was reported that Ukraine secured nearly £1.7 billion in financial assistance from the United Kingdom to purchase additional air defense systems and missiles for them.

The RapidRanger carries four ready-to-fire missiles, which, depending on the mission, can be either Starstreak 2 or LMM, or a combination of both.

Missile guidance is carried out exclusively using a laser beam.

The target detection range exceeds 15 km, while the effective engagement range is over 7 km.

The system is equipped with day and thermal imaging cameras for operation in low-light conditions and at night, as well as an automatic target tracking system and a 360° surveillance sensor.

In photos released by the Lithuanian Ministry of Defence, the launcher next to the system is equipped specifically for LMM (Lightweight Multirole Missile) missiles.

Last year, Ukraine and the United Kingdom announced the launch of a joint project under which Ukraine will receive 5,000 LMM air defense missiles, along with the technology to produce them.

The engagement range is up to 8 km when launched from an aerial platform and up to 6 km when launched from land or sea. The missile is 1.3 m long, has a diameter of 76 mm, and weighs about 13 kg. It is equipped with either a high-explosive fragmentation warhead or a tandem shaped-charge warhead.