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Ukraine - Martlet

In early April 2022, it became known that the Armed Forces of Ukraine received Martlet MANPADS, the deliveries of which London did not advertise. By June 2022 the Armed Forces of Ukraine were in possession of the state-of-the-art British LMM Martlet missile systems. Ukrainian Air Assault Forces reported destruction of Russian drones with these weapons. One of the MANPADS operators has personally shot down nine enemy air reconnaissance vehicles which were adjusting artillery fire on Ukrainian positions. The Ukrainian Air Assault Forces Command noted that the soldier was one of the most effective anti-aircraft gunners of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Working with MANPADS in the realities of modern warfare is more effective than with complexes based on heavy equipment, as it provides an opportunity to work closer to the front line. And that is where the concentration of enemy air attacks is greatest. The MANPADS operator is part of the air defense forces. And like other members of air defense, it covers its units or important strategic objects from threats from the sky, both during the offensive and during the defense, and also intercepts missiles on their routes in the rear.

These missiles are considered the most versatile in the world and are intended for use on helicopters, boats and land platforms, as well as in portable anti-aircraft systems. An indisputable plus in the Armed Forces of Ukraine is also the cost of the Martlet rocket - about $30,000. "For comparison, a missile for the American Stinger costs almost four times as much," the Armed Forces of Ukraine summed up.

The Martlet project used a two-mode solid fuel engine, different from the engine on the Starstreak rocket. It accelerates the rocket only up to 1.5M, but provides a controlled flight of 8 km. It is assumed that the reduction in speed not only increased the range of the launch, but also simplified the process of control and guidance.

The product is equipped with a combined guidance system, which includes tail receivers of laser radiation and an optical search engine under the main fairing. There are several modes of operation. The missile can fly along a laser beam, like the Starstreak product, or be guided to a laser-illuminated target. At the end of the trajectory, the infrared mode of the GPS is turned on.

The rocket carries a cumulative fragmentation warhead weighing 3 kg. The detonation is carried out by a laser non-contact detonator, the windows of which are located behind the fairing. The parameters of the cumulative jet and the fragmentation field are not specified. It was only reported that the LMM effectively fights air targets and ground-based armored objects. But, presumably, the cumulative funnel has a lining made of tantalum, this gives reason to believe that the impenetrability of the product can be about 10-12 calibers, that is, about 760-910 mm of steel homogeneous armor.

For the most part, the most massive Russian reconnaissance drone "Orlan-10" falls into the field of view of Ukrainian anti-aircraft fighters. These enemy drones adjust artillery fire, conduct electronic reconnaissance and set up communication jams. After the Martlet complex is hit by an anti-aircraft missile from Russian drones, very often almost nothing remains - and sometimes, they burn completely.

Ukrainian anti-aircraft gunners predominantly encountered Orlan-10, the most mass-produced Russian reconnaissance drone. These enemy UAVs adjust artillery fire, conduct radio electronic reconnaissance, and establish communication barriers. Apart from Ukraine, only two armies in the world have it in service - Great Britain and Indonesia. This lightweight multirole missile (Lightweight Multirole Missile) can be used on helicopters, sea and land platforms, as well as in portable anti-aircraft missile systems.

The LMM Martlet is a new lightweight, precision strike missile designed for the British military by Thales Air Defense. The LMM Martlet missile weighs 13 kg, has a length of 1.3 m and a hull diameter of 76 mm. Cumulative fragmentation warhead weighs 3 kg. When working on an air target it is detonated by a non-contact laser detonator. According to the British military, the smaller speed as compared to Starstreak gives the operator more time to aim and helps with more accurate shooting.

The missile was first used in real combat conditions in 2022 in Ukraine. The first launch and immediately shot down the target - an enemy drone. Any weapon that falls into the hands of Ukraine's military always becomes an effective tool in confronting the Russian aggressor. Ukrainian soldiers made this statement an axiom a long time ago. And the enemy already knows very well that he will not find peace anywhere - neither on land, nor on water, nor, especially, in the Ukrainian sky, the Military Media Center reports.

In the MANPADS version, the Martlet missile is used with a control unit and other equipment from the Starstreak complex (hence, in particular, sometimes there is confusion in the media with identification). They can be distinguished by the shape of the starting cylindrical container. It is also worth noting that the available two- and three-charge launchers, mounted on a stationary tripod or on the appropriate equipment, are fully compatible for both missiles.

The flight range, according to various data, is from 6 to 8 kilometers. The two-stage solid-fuel engine provides a relatively low speed of Mach 1.5 (510 m/s), which is half the speed of the same Starstreak. However, reducing the speed, according to the military, somewhat simplifies the process of controlling and aiming the missile. It can also be stored in a shipping container for 15 years without maintenance.

One of the features of the LMM Martlet missiles is the use of a two-channel guidance system — laser beam and infrared in the final guidance section. The flight of the missile "following the beam" ensures resistance to optical-electronic suppression and allows you to completely ignore thermal traps. However, because of this, the operator is forced to keep the target in the crosshairs until it is destroyed.