The UK is procuring 5,000 more LMMs for Ukraine. (Crown Copyright)
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced a GBP1.6 billion (USD2.06 billion) contract award on 3 March for 5,000 more Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) systems for Ukraine, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) and its Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) organisation announced on 2 March.
Under the contract awarded by DE&S on behalf of the Ukrainian government, Thales in Belfast will deliver LMMs initially worth GBP1.16 billion, with potentially another GBP500 million of work to be added for collaboration with an unnamed Ukrainian industry partner that will manufacture launchers and command-and-control vehicles for the missiles in Ukraine.
The UK MoD and DE&S said the contract was the largest ever received by Thales in Belfast and the second largest they had placed with the company, building on a previous order for 650 LMMs worth GBP162 million signed in September 2024, under which deliveries began in December 2024.
As a result, the company's LMM production will be tripled, although Thales declined to provide Janes with figures for the number of missiles produced currently or in the future or say how and when the increase will be achieved or when deliveries will be completed.
The contract will be funded by a loan underwritten by UK Export Finance after an agreement signed in 2024 to allow Ukraine to draw on GBP3.5 billion worth of support from the fund to spend with UK industry.
Ukraine has been using the LMM to defend civilians and critical infrastructure.
For more information, please see UK to supply 650 more LMM air-defence missiles to Ukraine .
Looking to read the full article?
Gain unlimited access to Janes news and more...
