Britain to send M270 rocket launchers to Ukraine

Britain will provide Ukraine with multiple-launch rockets systems capable of striking targets up to 80km (50 miles away), it announced Monday (6 June). This was in co-ordination with the United States to counter Russia's invasion.

Ben Wallace, Defence Secretary to the UK, stated that Britain would be changing its support for Ukraine as Russia's tactics evolve. This explains the M270 multi-launch system.

Wallace stated in a statement that the highly capable multi-launch rocket systems would allow our Ukrainian friends to better defend themselves against the brutal use long-range artillery which (Russian President Vladimir Putin's) forces have used indiscriminately, to flatten cities.

After receiving assurances from Kyiv, Joe Biden, the U.S. president, said that Washington would supply Ukraine M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (or HIMARS) after it was confirmed that it would not be used for targets within Russian territory.

Putin stated that the arms shipments are "nothing new", but warned there would be a reaction if the United States provided longer-range munitions to the HIMARS system.

According to the US Department of Defense, it supplied Ukraine four M142 HIMARS system along with the Guided Multi Launch Rocket System. It claimed that its range was more than 40 miles (64km).

After previously announcing that it would train Ukrainian soldiers to use armoured vehicles, Britain has now said it will instruct the Ukrainian troops how to use its new launchers

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