Anglo-Danish equipment will become a significant asset for the Ukrainian camp

The Gravehawk, an Anglo-Danish air defence system, allows short-range weapons to be concealed in containers before striking their targets. More specifically, this device allows aerial missiles to be adapted to "ground-based air defence".

With the Gravehawk, the British government states that Ukrainian soldiers will be able to use weapons they already have in their possession. According to the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS), quoted by Euronews, the system uses short-range Soviet-era air-to-air missiles R-73 or AA-11, which can hit targets up to 32 kilometres away.

The BFBS specifies that the storage container is also equipped with a device using passive infrared radiation to locate its targets. The captured images are then redirected to a command module, reports Euronews.

Weapons in the process of delivery

"As Ukraine is constantly bombarded by Russia, the Gravehawk system will strengthen its air defences, enabling it to defend its cities, troops, and essential infrastructure", stated the British government in a communiqué dated early 2025.

In January, the government indicated that two prototypes had already been tested on Ukrainian territory and that 15 more units would be delivered during the year.

Luke Pollard, Minister for the Armed Forces in the United Kingdom, specifies that the production costs and delivery of two Gravehawk prototypes would amount to nearly 6 million pounds sterling (€7 million). An initiative "supported by the United Kingdom".

(MH with Manon Pierre - Source: Euronews - Illustration: ©Unsplash)