U.K. secretly buys shoulder-mounted missiles to develop defenses against them
U.K. buys Russian-made shoulder-mounted missiles to use them in practicing anti-missile defenses for civilian aircraft
British authorities have secretly purchased dozens of sophisticated Russian surface-to-air missiles in order learn how better how to defend civilian aircraft from missile attacks. Britain used arms dealers with experience in the Russian arms market to buy the missiles from a state-owned arms manufacturer. The missiles and launchers were imported into Britain in an estimated “2.8 million deal. Defense experts have spent the past year experimenting with the shoulder-launched missiles in order to protect British aircraft and service personnel. Ministry of Defense scientists and gunners from the Royal Artillery have test-fired them at U.K. bases. Knowledgeable sources say Britain is trying to buy another batch of missiles and the test results will be pooled with the Americans.
-read more in Thomas Harding’s Daily Telegraph report
Shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft missile
