Starstreak

A British very-short-range surface-to-air missile that releases three laser beam-riding darts to engage low-flying aircraft, helicopters and uncrewed aerial vehicles.

Overview

Starstreak, formally the Starstreak High Velocity Missile, is a British short-range surface-to-air missile developed by Shorts Missile Systems and manufactured by Thales UK in Belfast. It is fielded as a shoulder-launched weapon, on the three-round Lightweight Multiple Launcher and aboard the tracked Stormer HVM vehicle. The system entered British Army service in 1997 and has subsequently been exported to Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, with Ukraine becoming a wartime operator in 2022.

Unlike infrared-homing MANPADS, Starstreak uses semi-automatic command-to-line-of-sight laser beam-riding guidance. After launch, the missile accelerates beyond Mach 3 and separates into three independently guided tungsten-alloy darts. This arrangement is intended to increase the probability of striking a manoeuvring target while remaining unaffected by conventional infrared flares or radar-jamming countermeasures. The operator must nevertheless keep the sight aligned with the target until impact.

Starstreak was designed primarily to counter fast, low-altitude aircraft and helicopters supporting manoeuvre forces. Operational use in Ukraine has broadened its role to include reconnaissance and other uncrewed aircraft, particularly when fired from the passive-sensor-equipped Stormer platform.

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