UK to provide Ukraine with long-range kamikaze drones

15 May, 2023 Photo illustration to the news. QinetiQ Banshee Jet 80+ UAV The UK will supply hundreds of new long-range kamikaze drones to Ukraine.

The declared flight range of these drones exceeds 200 km. Ukraine will also receive hundreds of air defense missiles. The British government made the announcement on Monday, May 15, after the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Great Britain for talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Reuters writes.

"The Prime Minister would on Monday confirm the provision of hundreds of air defence missiles and further unmanned aerial systems including hundreds of new long-range attack drones with a range of over 200 kilometres," the statement said. All of this is expected to be delivered in the coming months as Ukraine prepares to strengthen its resistance to a full-scale Russian invasion. It is currently unknown which drones the Ukrainian military will receive.

The type of air defence missiles is also not specified. The information is not made public for security reasons, so that the Russians are not aware of the specific types of weapons Ukraine receives from its partners. As previously reported, last week the UK confirmed the supply of Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles to Ukraine.

The decision to transfer these weapons follows repeated pleas from Ukraine for more weapons to counter Russian aggression.

Storm Shadow cruise missile. Photo credits: MBDA

Ben Wallace mentioned that the missiles would "allow Ukraine to push back Russian forces based on Ukrainian sovereign territory". "The donation of these missile systems gives Ukraine the best chance to defend itself against Russian brutality," the UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace stated in the House of Commons.

With these missiles, the Ukrainian Air Force will be able to strike deep into the territories of Ukraine captured by the Russian invaders, destroying important military facilities of the aggressor country.

Storm Shadow cruise missile.

Photo credits: MBDA

The UK has received assurances from the Ukrainian government that these missiles will be used only against he Russian invasion forces within Ukrainian sovereign territory, and not inside Russia.