Hundreds of Ukrainian Troops Receive Weapons Training In Britain

Hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers have received training inside Britain on how to use weapons provided by London, including the US-made M270 Multiple Rocket Launcher System (MLRS).

The MLRS that Britain is sending Ukraine is said to have a range of about 50 miles, although they could potentially be outfitted with longer-range munitions in the future. London hasn’t said publicly how many MLRS systems it’s giving Ukraine, but the BBC reported that it’s believed they’ll be sending three.

The training has been taking place in Salisbury, southern England for about 450 Ukrainian troops. According to Reuters, Ukrainian forces were seen firing 105mm light guns and the MLRS systems.

The US has sent Ukraine a similar system, known as the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), and has been training Ukrainian forces in Germany and at other undisclosed locations in Europe. The HIMARS the US is sending also has a range of about 50 miles.

So far, the US has committed to giving eight HIMARS systems to Ukraine, and more could be included in the new $800 million weapons package President Biden announced will be detailed later in the week. Russia strongly cautioned the US and Britain against providing Ukraine with such weapons, but the warnings were ignored.