Britain has sent to Ukraine an improved model of the Brimstone missile, which has laser guidance with twice the range of the previous model, reports The Telegraph. The Ukrainian military modified the trucks to use ground-launched missiles.

The Brimstone missile is in service with UkrainePhoto: east2west news / WillWest News / Profimedia

Recently, images of Brimstone 2 laser-guided missiles, which are delivered to Ukraine by the Royal Air Force of Great Britain, appeared on social networks, the British publication reports.

This more advanced version has twice the range of the previous one, which Britain already supplied to Ukraine about six months ago.

According to The Telegraph, Ukrainian forces modified the trucks to be able to use missiles, which are normally launched from the air, from a long distance to destroy Russian tanks.

What are Brimstone 2 missiles

The Brimstone 2 missiles, each costing around €200,000 apiece, can hit targets by tracking a laser fired by troops, aircraft or vehicles.

They can also select their own target from a pre-programmed list using ultra-high frequency millimeter wave radar.

This system allows the weapon to scan the battlefield and select the most suitable target, excluding civilian vehicles or less important military equipment.

Brimstone 2 missiles are characterized by high accuracy

With the Brimstone laser, it can be used in civilian areas with high precision, limiting the potential for collateral damage among the population.

The first version of the Brimstone missile entered service with the Royal Air Force of Great Britain in 2005. In 2008, it was modernized so that it could have laser guidance. Brimstone 2, the next improved model, entered service with the Royal Air Force in 2016.

With an aircraft firing range of approximately 60 km and a warhead weighing 6.3 kg, the Brimstone 2 is primarily designed to engage ground targets, including moving vehicles.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, during a recent visit to Kyiv, announced that another package of military aid worth more than 57 million euros will be sent to Ukraine.

The Telegraph notes that the Brimstone missiles were not part of the package, which instead focused on supplying anti-aircraft weapons and ammunition to counter Iranian drones.