The U.K. Defence Secretary will today announce a new package of support for Ukraine and the signing of further air defence contracts, procured through the International Fund for Ukraine. A new package of military support for Ukraine, worth more than £100 million, willbe announced by the Defence Secretary today. It will help its armed forces clear minefields, maintain its vehicles, and shore up defensive fortifications to protect critical national infrastructure. The support package, which will be provided using money from the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU), will be jointly announced today by the Defence Secretary and his counterparts from the IFU partner nations at a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
It comes as the final contract from the previously announced IFU package of air defence capability was signed, which will see more than £70m of capabilities provided to Ukraine – including the MSI-DS Terrahawk Paladin, a platform which can track and destroy drones and protect critical national infrastructure. The UK and Denmark launched the IFU in 2022 and the UK engages closely with Ukraine to procure capability that best meets the needs of its armed forces. Since then, five other nations have contributed to the IFU, demonstrating the unity and resolve of allies and partners in supporting Ukraine. The Defence Secretary attended his first meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, where ministers from member countries and Ukraine will discuss the ongoing international response to Putin’s illegal invasion.
The MSI-DS Terrahawk Paladin mobile, deployable very short range air defense system (VSHORAD) was publicly presented only in September 2022, and an updated version in September 2023. Modular, remote-controlled, and re-deployable – to defend against close range land, air, and maritime threats (proven C-UAS and C-FIAC capability). The containerised system, with sensors and effectors mounted on a NATO-standard Demountable Rack Offload and Pickup System (D.R.O.P.S.), can be deployed on the ground with offset remote control for operator survivability (hard-wire or Line of Sight). To re-deploy, the D.R.O.P.S. module can be rapidly mounted on a military support vehicle (or trailer-based system) with the requisite space and payload capacity.
The MSI-DS Terrahawk Paladin system is a classic anti-drone solution that combines an automatic gun with a digital fire control system and radar for detecting targets in any condition. The system is enhanced by complete autonomy of operation and the availability of appropriate sensors and systems for searching, detecting, capturing and destroying air, land and sea targets at short range. The 30-mm Mk44 Bushmaster II is used to destroy targets, which can use programmable fuzes. The developers declare that if they are used, the range of destruction of an air target is up to 3 km. The MSI-DS Terrahawk Paladin includes the ability to integrate additional means of destruction, such as semi-active laser-guided missiles such as APKWS. Thus, this system, especially when combined with programmable munitions, is a very effective answer to the cost-effective destruction of threats such as Shahed-136 aircraft.
The integration of field-proven effectors, sensing and detection capabilities, including the MSI-DS TERRAHAWK LW Series gun mount and the MSI-DS SATOS, provides the assurance of class-leading accuracy, lethality, and survivability. The system can be deployed as a singleton for point defence roles, or as part of a network under a Combat Management System for wider area defence. This enables the MSI-DS TERRAHAWK PALADIN to capably fulfil a wide range of field roles such as protecting high value targets, critical infrastructure, vulnerable points, as well as a force multiplier for coastal and border protection. Whether deployed as a singleton or as part of a layered defence network, the MSI-DS TERRAHAWK PALADIN secures significant tactical and strategic advantages over fixed location air defence systems.
