The UK wouldn’t need Russia to provide to Iran captured British anti-tank missiles meant for Ukraine, nevertheless it was a identified threat and wouldn’t be a significant concern as they don’t include cutting-edge expertise, the defence secretary, has mentioned.
At the identical time, Britain and different NATO allies had been having fun with an “amazing opportunity” to study President Vladimir Putin‘s navy capabilities from Russian weapons captured by the Ukrainians, Ben Wallace instructed Sky News.
He mentioned the UK was trying right into a Sky News report this week that Moscow had flown British and US anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles to Tehran together with 140m euros (£122m) in August, which they exchanged for dozens of lethal drones set for use in opposition to Ukraine.
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The NLAW, Javelin and Stinger munitions had been supposed for the Ukrainian navy however had fallen into Russian fingers, in accordance with a safety supply.
“Of course, we don’t want to see these things happening,” Mr Wallace mentioned. “But fundamentally, that is the risk we took when we decided it was important to help Ukraine.”
It additionally labored each methods, with the UK and different NATO allies in a position to study from Russian weapons captured by the Ukrainians.
“Russia has lost significant numbers of its A-grade capabilities – they’ve been captured in the hundreds and thousands,” Mr Wallace mentioned.
“That is an amazing opportunity for NATO countries to understand the technologies that go on in Russian equipment and that will give us a very strategic advantage in the future.”
As for the NLAW anti-tank missiles that the UK has given to Ukraine, they’re massively efficient items of equipment, however they aren’t fitted with subsequent technology expertise, which the UK is at present engaged on, the defence secretary mentioned.
“That will mean there’ll be differences in it between what the Iranians – if they do have NLAWs – develop and what we have and that goes the same for the US Javelins… So, I’m not particularly worried. But of course, it was a risk we took as a calculation.”
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He added: “Iran has a track record of reverse engineering. It’s always been very cunning at taking technologies from abroad and trying to turn it into its own capabilities.
“And certainly, the Ukrainian captured Iranian drones that we have seen on the TV that exhibits a major variety of western elements inside.”
Source: information.sky.com”