Britain showcased its firepower in Russia’s backyard today as part of a major NATO training exercise – with a weapon dubbed the “70km sniper”.
The British Army’s Multiple Launch Rocket System was airlanded at Kiltsi Airfield, in western Estonia, before a simulated firing. It was flown in on an RAF A400M at the airfield, only hours from the Russian border to the east. Over two years on from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, yesterday’s exercise was a fresh NATO show of strength against Vladimir Putin.
The airlanding and simulated firing fell under Exercise Spring Storm, part of the months-long Steadfast Defender 24 – NATO’s biggest wargame since the Cold War. Estonia’s Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur said the message yesterday’s exercise sends Putin and Russia is “very clear”.
Speaking at the airfield, he told the Mirror: “NATO, as an alliance, is always ready to defend our countries, our people.” He added: “Don’t even think about attacking NATO countries because we are all together in this and we are defending our alliance.”
British Ambassador to Estonia, Ross Allen, said: “If Russia was to try… something on here… we could really, really rapidly re-enforce our allies.” Asked how real the threat in Estonia from Russia felt to the country, Allen said: “We and our Estonian allies take the threat seriously.
“It’s the reason that we’re here full stop… we normally have about 850 troops here the whole time. That’s to help provide reassurance to the Estonians, deter Russia and also be ready to defend Estonia if needed.”
However, he said Estonia “is a very safe country, it’s part of the EU, it’s part of NATO”, adding: “And we’re here to keep it that way, to keep it safe. So we are very, very conscious of the Russian threat but also want to give a clear message to people that this is a… completely safe place to come and do business, to come and visit etc.”
Detachment commander Olivia Leather, 31, from the 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, said it was “amazing” to be part of the NATO exercise. The British Army’s website says: “The M270B1 Multiple Launch Rocket System, firing the M31 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) munition, is the mainstay of the British Army's deep and shaping fires capability.
“The system provides pinpoint accuracy, delivering a 200 lb high explosive warhead to its target with over twice the range of other artillery systems used by the British Army. The MLRS also represents the bulk of the Army's precision fires capability, with the GPS guidance capability integral to the system and highly accurate beyond 70 KM.”
The website adds: “The GMLRS fires surface-to-surface rockets and the army tactical missile system (ATACMS). Without leaving the cab, the crew… can fire up to 12 rockets in less than 60 seconds.”
The exercise comes amid tensions with the Kremlin. On Wednesday, the UK announced it was expelling the Russian defence attaché – “an undeclared military intelligence officer”.