A video of a launch of a British short-range ASRAAM missile at a Russian drone has been published online.

Mykola Oleshchuk, Commander of the Air Force of Ukraine, posted the video on its channel.

The video captures the launch of a missile from a ground launcher mounted on the chassis of the Supacat HMT modular vehicle, which was upgraded from the Soothsayer ECM.

A total of two missiles of this type, guided by the Chess Dynamics Hawkeye, can be mounted on the launcher.

According to the published video, the launch is carried out at a short distance in the area of direct visual contact.

According to some sources, the missile destroyed the Geran-2 kamikaze drone, which was targeting civilian objects in Ukraine.

In addition, an image of the Hawkeye is included, which was locating the target and providing targeting instructions on priority coordinates for missiles.

After launch, the missile captured the target with a homing head consisting of an infrared camera into which the LOAL (target capture after launch) system is integrated. This allows the missile to capture the target after launch, in the event that capture before launch is not possible, or there are obstacles to reliable capture.

Due to the best aerodynamic qualities, the missile, according to unofficial information from Janes, has a maximum range of 60 km, which is two to three times more than other missiles.

The ASRAAM missile is currently used by aircraft of the United Kingdom, India, Qatar, Oman, and also armed the Australian AF-18A+ Hornet.

The cost of one missile is estimated at 450 thousand pounds, which makes it quite expensive compared to the Martlet and Starstreak missiles.

To date, this is the second recorded case of an ASRAAM missile launch by the Armed Forces of Ukraine at an enemy drone.
In August 2023, it was reported that Ukraine was using AIM-132 ASRAAM short-range air-to-air missile ground launchers.