Britain lining up high precision long range missiles on Russian border as Baltic brawl escalates
BRITAIN is set to deploy batteries of high-precision long-range missiles on Russia's border - a move not seen since the Cold War.
The rockets are being transported to Estonia next year amid fears that Putin is planning to invade the country as tension in the Baltic region escalates.
The missiles mark Britain's contribution to NATO's massive military build-up, which aims to beef up Baltic border defences.
800 UK troops will also be deployed to Estonia next year as part of a 15-nation force, including soldiers from US, France and Denmark.
With a range of up to 45 miles, the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) are capable of launching as many as 12 missiles per minute and can blow up Russian tanks with precision GPS strikes.
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Missile launchers bolted onto armoured vehicles fire the 200lb warheads, which will be guided towards their target with the help of 25 Royal Artillery soldiers expected to deploy to the region to operate the systems.
The same rockets were used in Afghanistan from 2007 with devastating results.
Roughly 410 of the missiles were fired at Taliban tunnel networks in Helmand Province.
As well as the GMLRS systems, Britain is set to supply drones, RAF Typhoon jets and Challenger 2 tanks.
Tensions have risen since the US election, with President Elect Donald Trump challenging a NATO Article 5 principle that commits alliance members to defending each other from military aggression.
Trump suggested that US protection for the Baltic States would depend on these countries meeting NATO defence spending targets.
But in a statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin reassured the world that "Russia is not going to attack anyone" and claimed the allegations were just a a part of US "hysteria".
Former British Army Commander General Sir Richard Shirreff last night said he believed it is necessary for hundreds of UK troops to remain in Estonia for the for the foreseeable future in order to make a stand against Russian aggression.
Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, he said: "Unless it is a permanent force then it is not credible. The 800-strong UK deployment is a start, but just that. I would also like to see Britain taking the lead in the protection of the Baltic States, in particular after Brexit. NATO as a whole must make a statement that it is willing and capable of defending these countries.
"I fear that unless President Elect Trump reaffirms the US’s commitment to Article 5 that Russian will exploit this situation, absolutely certainly it will, and this could include Russian adventurism in the Baltic States.
"Because until now the one thing that has secured European defence since the formation of NATO has been the total certainty that whichever President is elected to the White House the US will come to the aid of another member of the pact."
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