British Starstreak missile 'shoots down Russian helicopter' in dramatic battle footage

dailystar.co.uk:

Ukraine released by the Ukrainian defence forces shows the moment a British-made Starstreak anti-aircraft missile reportedly hits a Russian Mi-28N helicopter, blowing it into two pieces.A Ministry of Defence source said that the video appeared to be evidence that Starstreak missiles were now being used in combat by the Ukrainian military.Starstreak system is a laser-guided missile system that fires a projectile at at more than 2,000 mph.

It’s designed to eliminate low-flying enemy jets and helicopters. Controlled by a laser targeted from the ground the projectile tracks its target, splitting into three “darts” in mid-air that can rip through enemy aircraft.Starstreak can be fired from a fixed mount or shoulder launcher and take out jets and helicopters up to 4 miles away.Unlike its American equivalent, the “fire and forget” Stinger, Starstreak gets constant guidance from a ground operator, which makes it harder for enemy aviators to evade.

However it also requires significantly more training to be used effectively.Colonel Graham Taylor told The Times that British troops had been being deployed to a secret location in eastern Europe to teach Ukrainians how to use the shoulder-mounted weapons.