Ukraine tests anti-tank missiles bought from US
Ukraine on 22 May carried out tests of the top of the range Javelin anti-tank missile it recently bought from the US to boost its arsenal against Russian-backed rebels.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko posted video on Twitter showing a missile being fired and blowing up a target at a military testing ground.
Poroshenko said after the test, which he claimed boosted Ukraine's military capabilities as it fights a long-running conflict with Russian-backed separatists in its east: ‘Finally the day has come. I'm sure that as of today the military capabilities of the Ukrainian armed forces... grew significantly.’
The Javelin missiles will only be used in defence when Ukrainian positions are attacked, he said.
The US in March 2018 formally approved the sale of 210 missiles and 37 launchers by contractors Raytheon and Lockheed Martin to Ukraine at a price of around $47 million.
Poroshenko on 22 May thanked US President Donald Trump, hailing the missile deal as a ‘symbol of cooperation with our American partners.’
The US and its Western allies back Ukraine in its struggle to reunite its country since 2014 when Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula and Russia-backed rebels seized two eastern industrial regions.
Washington had been cautious in the past about escalating the conflict by providing advanced ‘lethal’ weaponry to Kiev due to the risk of heightening tensions with Moscow.
But in December 2017 the US announced it would provide Ukraine with ‘enhanced defensive capabilities’ as the war in the east drags on, having claimed more than 10,000 lives since 2014.
In recent days, there has been increased fighting in eastern Ukraine, with at least four people killed on both sides and nine wounded on 21 May.
On 22 May, rebel authorities in the Donetsk region said that an explosive device went off in a passenger bus, killing one and wounding two.
More from Land Warfare
-
![DSEI 2025: Polaris displays new all-terrain vehicle with Alakran mortar system]()
DSEI 2025: Polaris displays new all-terrain vehicle with Alakran mortar system
The Polaris Government and Defense’s Military RZR (MRZR) Alpha 1KW was displayed at the Modern Day Marine exposition in the US earlier this year and with the Alakran mobile mortar weapon system at DSEI. The company outlined recent firing trials with the Alakran mobile mortar weapon system (MMWS) which was weeks after the company announced a major NATO deal.
-
![The first of 663 BvS10s delivered to Germany, Sweden and the UK]()
The first of 663 BvS10s delivered to Germany, Sweden and the UK
The vehicles are based on the latest version of the BvS10 All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) and include variants for troop transport, logistics, medical evacuation, recovery, and command and control. An unarmoured version is being delivered to the US and offered to Canada.
-
![DSEI 2025: Thales creating new remote weapon station and Storm 2 counter-drone jammer]()
DSEI 2025: Thales creating new remote weapon station and Storm 2 counter-drone jammer
Thales launched Storm-H in 2012 as an EW system equipping individual dismounted troops, and a decade later revealed details to develop the improved and more powerful Storm 2.
-
![The integration between drones and land vehicles is accelerating]()
The integration between drones and land vehicles is accelerating
Drones and military ground vehicles are increasingly being designed to operate together as a single platform or even to convert crewed systems to automated ones.
-
![Denmark shuns US platform as it settles on SAMP/T air defence system]()
Denmark shuns US platform as it settles on SAMP/T air defence system
The acquisition, which is part of the country’s broader defence package worth DKK58 billion (US$9.2 billion), goes against the grain with many other European countries opting for the US’s popular Patriot platform.
-
![In depth: Competition for British Army vehicle programme heats up, despite more delays]()
In depth: Competition for British Army vehicle programme heats up, despite more delays
The UK’s Land Mobility Programme (LMP) seems set to be delayed once again but industry is jockeying for position to partner in what would be one of the biggest ever buys for the British Army.
