The United Kingdom Secretary of Defense, Ben Wallace announced that the United Kingdom will send an undisclosed number of Stormer Starstreak SP HVM air defense missile systems. These air defense missile vehicles will give Ukraine forces enhanced short-range anti-air capabilities, both day and night. The Starstreak missile that reportedly shot down a Russian attack helicopter recently, can be mounted on the shoulder or put on the turret of the Stormer vehicle. The UK Ministry of Defense showcased the Stormer High-Velocity Missile (HVM) launcher for Ukrainians on Salisbury Plain two weeks ago can be rushed to the war in days aboard C-17 cargo planes.
The Starstreak SP HVM (Self-Propelled High-Velocity Missile) is mounted on a tracked Stormer vehicle. The system has eight rounds of Starstreak missiles ready to fire, with a further 12 missiles carried. SP HVM is fitted with a roof-mounted air defense alerting device (ADAD) supplied by Thales Optronics. The ADAD’s infrared scanner and processor provide target detection and prioritization, and the system automatically slews the weapon sight onto the target. The Starstreak SP HVM were also deployed to Poland as an interim measure until the arrival of Sky Sabre. The vehicle carries a mix of both Starstreak A5 and Lightweight Multirole Missiles.
Starstreak is a British short-range man-portable air-defence system (MANPADS) manufactured by Thales Air Defence, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is also known as Starstreak HVM (High Velocity Missile). After launch, the missile accelerates to more than Mach 4, making it the fastest short-range surface-to-air missile in existence. It then launches three laser beam-riding submunitions, increasing the likelihood of a successful hit on the target. Lightweight Multirole Missile or martlet is a multirole missile based on Starstreak. This highly flexible system is also capable of being fired using the lightweight multiple launcher or from the shoulder.
The Alvis Stormer is a 1970s military armoured vehicle manufactured by the British company Alvis Vickers, now BAE Systems Land & Armaments. The Stormer is a development of the CVR(T) family of vehicles (Scorpion, Scimitar, Spartan etc.), essentially a larger, modernised version with an extra road-wheel on each side. Under Army 2020, Stormer HVM was to equip three regular and two reserve artillery batteries. The Stormer is powered by a Cummins Engines 6BTAA-T250A 6-cylinder diesel engine developing 250hp coupled to a semi-automatic transmission. It can run at a maximum road speed of 80 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 650 km.
