The UK will transfer M270 launchers to Ukraine, which can hit targets at a distance of up to 80 km with high-precision missiles, UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has said.
“As Russia’s tactics change, so must our support to Ukraine. These highly capable multiple-launch rocket systems will enable our Ukrainian friends to better protect themselves against the brutal use of long-range artillery, which Putin’s forces have used indiscriminately to flatten cities,” Wallace said, the government of the UK said on its website on Monday.
Along with the weapons system, the UK will also supply M31A1 ammunition in large quantities.
The Ukrainian military will be trained to use launchers in the UK to maximize the effectiveness of the systems.
“We cannot stand by while Russian long-range artillery flattens cities and kills innocent civilians. The UK will gift the Ukrainian Armed Forces multiple-launch rocket systems so they can effectively repel the continuing Russian onslaught,” PM of the UK Boris Johnson said on Twitter.
The UK’s decision was closely coordinated with the U.S. decision to transfer to Ukraine a variant of the MLRS Highly Mobile Artillery Missile System (HIMARS).