It has now been confirmed that the recent shoot down of a Russian Mi-28 Havoc helicopter over the Luhansk region was carried out by Ukrainian troops firing a British-made STARStreak short-range man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) manufactured by Thales Air Defense.

The STARStreak missile accelerates to more than Mach 4, making it the fastest short-range surface-to-air missile ever created. It then launches three laser beam-riding submunitions, increasing the likelihood of a successful hit on the target.

Starstreak was sent to the Ukrainian military from the UK along with thousands of Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon (NLAW) missiles. STARStreak can hit jets and helicopters up to 7km away.