The UK and Germany will arm Ukraine’s Sea King helicopters with modern missiles for greater offensive capability.
The joint communique of the bilateral Trinity House Agreement on Defence mentioned the announcement.
“In addition, we are committed to working together for as long as it takes to support and enable Ukraine to counter Russian aggression,” the joint communique read.
“Our specialist teams and our Defence Industries will work ever more closely to ensure that Ukraine will prevail and achieve a fair and lasting peace.
“In the short term, we will collectively provide Ukraine with a new offensive capability, supporting fitting German donated Sea King Helicopters with modern missile systems.”
Possible Weapons
No details were provided about the missiles, which would enhance Ukraine’s naval capabilities against Russian aggression.
Germany announced the donation of six decommissioned Sea King MK41 helicopters to Ukraine earlier this year.
The MK41 is a dedicated search and rescue platform with minor offensive capability in the form of a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun.
The recent announcement could potentially arm the platform with much deadlier missiles, such as the Brimstone air-launched ground attack missile.
The latest Brimstone 2 has a range of over 40 kilometers (over 25 miles), featuring a warhead of 6.3 kilograms (14 pounds).
The 1970s aircraft could also be integrated with the Marte ER long-range lightweight anti-ship missile system.
The MBDA missile has a range of over 100 kilometers (62 miles) and can be deployed for ground-attack missions.
Another anti-ship missile the aircraft could be integrated with is the Exocet. The missile’s latest MM40 Block 3 version can strike targets up to a range of 200 kilometers (124 miles).
Sea King MK41
The Westland aircraft is a license-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter, but with considerable differences.
It was primarily built for anti-submarine warfare. However, a search and rescue version was also developed for the Royal Norwegian Air Force, the German Navy, and the Belgian Air Force.
The German Navy’s MK41 can fly unrefueled for over 1,500 kilometers (932 miles), even in challenging weather conditions.
It is equipped with two Seaspray 3000 radars and a FLIR infrared camera.
The aircraft is designed with amphibious features. It can easily land in calm waters and make emergency landings at sea in bad weather with the help of attached floats that provide it with additional buoyancy to stay afloat in choppy waters.
