Photos and videos of Ukrainian soldiers using a British-made Martlet missile to
destroy a Russian drone have been posted on social media.
Footage posted on several social media channels
affiliated with the Ukrainian military shows a soldier is shown firing a missile,
followed by cheering of his comrades as an explosion is heard in the background.
Indications are that the drone was Orion.
As per the video description, the soldiers belong to the 95th Air Assault Brigade.
While the weapon system has been identified as the Starstreak by some,
numerous open-source intelligence sources pointed out that it was a Martlet missile,
which uses the same launch tube as the Starstreak.
In this video Defense Updates analyzes how Ukraine has managed to down a Russian Orion drone with
British supplied Martlet? Let's get started
By 9 April during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine,
there was video confirmation of Orion performing six successful kills on Ukrainian vehicles.
So, it has been a threat to the Ukrainian forces.
This hit was the first confirmed loss of an Orion unmanned aircraft system in the war.
Orion is touted to be Russian analogous to the legendary US-made Predator unmanned combat system.
Martlet’s appearance indicates that the variety of weapons being sent by
European countries to Ukraine is bigger than initially reported.
In mid-March 2022, the United Kingdom Defense Secretary
Ben Wallace announced that the UK will supply Ukraine with Starstreak MANPADS,
with the first systems reportedly reaching Ukraine by the end of the month.
On April 2 video emerged on social media showing Starstreak shooting
down a Russian Mil Mi-28 attack helicopter. However, it has not been announced that in
addition to the sophisticated Starstreak the UK has also sent the Martlet.
The Kronshtadt Orion is a family of Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)
developed by the Kronstadt Group. There are several variants of the drone,
both for Russia's domestic and export markets.
Kronstadt began the development of Orion in 2011
as part of the Russian MoD-funded Inokhodets program.
On 24 August 2021, it was reported that the Russian MoD and Kronshtadt signed a
deal for the procurement of 5 combat groups of an upgraded version of Orion known as Sirius.
The Orion is a medium-altitude, long-duration unmanned aerial system
with a maximum take-off weight of 1 tonne and a maximum payload weight of 200 kg or 440 lb.
The drone has a service ceiling of 7.5 km or 4.5 miles and its flight endurance is 24 hours
with the standard payload. It can develop a speed of up to 200 km/h or around 125 mph.
The Orion has a turret with electro-optical and infrared cameras, as well as a laser target
designator for delivering guided munitions against ground targets.
The drone may carry out visual, radar, or radio-technical reconnaissance while
patrolling a specific area for an extended period of time. The Orion can operate for up to 24 hours.
The drone’s arsenal includes the KAB-20 and KAB-50 adjustable aerial bombs,
the UPAB-50 guided gliding aerial bomb, and the X-50 guided missile.
Interestingly, it has air-to-air strike capabilities.
The Orion drone has been seen to be launching a new air-launched version of the 9M113
Kornet anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) against a helicopter drone during testing.
Maj. Gen. Alexander Novikov, the head of the Russian General Staff’s Office for
UAV Development, said that the Orion drone is capable of eliminating the Turkish-made
Bayraktar TB2 and other UAVs.
Martlet is a lightweight air-to-surface, surface-to-air, and surface-to-surface missile
developed by Thales Air Defence for the United Kingdom.
Its developed as the Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) to meet the UK's
"Future Air-to-Surface Guided Weapon (Light)" requirement.
The missile was given the name "Martlet" in British service.
It was designed to be launched from a variety of naval, air and
land platforms against a wide range of targets. The missile's High precision reduces collateral
damage and makes the missile suitable for asymmetric littoral operations.
Development began in 2008 and the LMM uses technology from, the Starstreak.
Martlet uses a dual-targeting system, utilizing both laser guidance and infrared homing,
and has an operational range of 8 kilometers or 5 miles.
The Martlet has been adopted into service by the UK military in 2021.
The dual-mode homing capability is key to Martlet's success against Orion.
It is evident that Russia has underestimated the will of the
Ukrainian people to fight and defend their land.
Russia is now throwing in its newest platforms in order to gain the initiative.
Drones are playing a significant role in the Ukraine - Russia conflict.
It is likely that Russia will step up drone operations given the fact
that it has suffered significant human resource losses including fighter and helicopter pilots.
It is paramount that Ukraine is able to hold its own not only when it comes to the use of drones
for offense but also in counter-drone operations. In this situation, Martlet will be a key asset.
While fighter jets, tanks, and advance air defense systems need well-trained personnel
to operate weapons like Martlet can be used with limited training and hence could be very useful.