The tension is getting worse between Ukraine and Russia after the former's forces struck the latter's helicopter with British-made Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles. Daily Star reported that the Ukrainian defense forces had released a dramatic video that shows the moment the laser-guided missiles hit the Russian Mi-28N helicopter that blew it into two pieces.
The UK reportedly sent a team of Starstreak operators to a secret location that trained Ukrainian forces to use the missiles. Due to this, Russia's ambassador to the UK said that any British weapons that crossed Ukraine's borders would be considered "legitimate targets."
A Starstreak high-velocity missile (HVM) system, which could play a role in providing air security during the Olympics, is manned by members of the British Royal Artillery during a media demonstration at Blackheath in southeast London on May 3, 2012.
Britain's Starstreak Missiles Used in Ukraine-Russia Conflict
Britain's Starstreak anti-aircraft missile is a laser-guided missile either fired from a fixed mount or shoulder launcher and takes out jets and helicopters up to 4 miles away. Unlike the American equivalent of the "fire and forget" Stinger, the ground operator guides it to its target.
But handling a high-power weapon also requires more training. Colonel Graham Taylor told The Times that British Starstreak operators were deployed in a secret location in eastern Europe to teach Ukrainian troops how to use the shoulder-mounted missiles. They aim to use their knowledge to good use effectively within two to three weeks of intense training.
Taylor explained that the tungsten darts did not have a high-explosive warhead as long as it traveled at Mach 2.5 kinetically to severely impact their target.
British Army Starstreak specialist Sergeant Major Katie Stock added that unlike Stinger, which is very susceptible to countermeasures, the Starstreak is guided to its target, making it extremely difficult to defeat.
Russia Will Target Any British Weapons in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin previously warned the western countries not to come to Ukraine's aid or face the consequences greater than ay has faced in history.
But due to the recent attack on the Russian helicopter, Russia's ambassador to the UK, Andrey Kelin, told the Russian news agency TASS on Saturday that British weapons in Ukraine are "legitimate targets," and such arms are destabilizing and exacerbating the situation making it even bloodier.
There are also some reports that the US and its allies might offer help to Ukraine by supplying tanks. There is no information yet about the number of vehicles or from which countries it will come.
How Do Laser-Guided Missiles Work?
Missiles are flying bombs that strike their target with accurate precision. Although earlier versions are larger and are more powerful, they do not have a system that could guide them. Technological development throughout the years has finally created guidance systems that make them pursue their target until it hits them.
According to the website Science ABC, guidance systems are mainly composed of navigation for tracking, guidance for directing missiles toward the target, and control for applying guidance commands.
Laser-guided missiles tack the location of the moving target in space by following its heat signature and chasing it down before finally hitting it with accuracy.
Guided systems in missiles may serve different operational purposes and can be classified into two types: Go-Onto-Location-in-Space (GOLIS) and Go-Onto-Target (GOT). GOLIS systems are usually limited to stationary or near-stationary targets, while GOT systems are highly effective against stationary and moving targets.
Below is the video of Ukrainian troops taking down a Russian helicopter using the British-made weapon Starstreak:
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