According to information published by the "Daily Mail" website on April 19, 2022, the United Kingdom is ready to supply Alvis Stormer Starstreak missile anti-aircraft tracked armored vehicles to Ukraine, to increase its air defense capabilities.
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British army Stormer Combat Vehicles fitted with Starstreak missile anti-aircraft weapon station. (Picture source British Mod)
To support the Ukrainian armed forces in its fight against Russian troops deployed in Ukraine, the United Kingdom has already supplied the MANPADS (Man-portable air-defense systems ) version of the Starstreak missile. On April 8, 2022, the United Kingdom approved another aid of £100 million to provide military equipment and weapons to Ukraine including another batch of Starstreak air defense missile systems.
The Alvis Stormer is a mobile air defense system based on an improved tracked chassis of the CVRT, a family of reconnaissance armored vehicles in service with the British army.
The Alvis Stormer is fitted with a Starstreak HVM (High-Velocity Missile) weapon station mounted at the rear of the hull of the vehicle. The Starstreak HVM has a semi-automatic line of sight laser beam riding guidance. The missiles are guided on the target by the operator, who tracks the target using the optically stabilized sight.
The HVM weapon station is armed with two blocks of four Starstreak missiles ready to fire. Another batch of 12 missiles is stored in the vehicle. The roof of the vehicle is fitted with an air defense alerting device (ADAD), supplied by Thales (formerly Pilkington) Optronics. The ADAD is an infrared thermal imaging surveillance system that is used by close air defense units, to detect hostile aircraft and helicopter targets and direct weapon systems into the target area. Operating as an infrared search and tracking system in the 8 - 14 micron waveband, the alerter is designed to operate against low and fast-moving fixed-wing aircraft, as well as the latest generation of attack helicopters.
The Starstrek is a surface-to-air missile that launches three laser beam-riding submunitions, increasing the likelihood of a successful hit on the target. The missile is designed to destroy aerial targets such as helicopters and high-speed ground attack aircraft. It has a maximum firing range of 7 km.
The Stormer is an evolution of the CVRT tracked reconnaissance armored vehicle. The hull of the Stormer is wider than the CVR(T) and its original petrol engine has been replaced by a Cummins or Perkins Engines Company turbocharged diesel engine.
The hull of the Stormer is made of all-welded aluminum armor with the driver at the left front, the engine compartment to the right, and the troop compartment at the rear. The torsion bar suspension on either side consists of six dual rubber-tired aluminum road wheels with the drive sprocket at the front and the idler at the rear.
The Stormer is powered by a Cummins Engines 6BTAA-T250A 6-cylinder diesel engine developing 250hp coupled to a semi-automatic transmission with seven gears. The vehicle can run ta a maximum road speed of 80 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 650 km.
