The Starstreak was sent to Ukraine as part of a weapons package from Britain that includes thousands of Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon (NLAW) missiles.
It can be fired from a stand or shoulder launcher and take out jets and helicopters up to 7km away.
In contrast to other anti-aircraft missiles, it is not a "fire and forget" system.
The projectile splits into three darts in mid-air and must be laser guided to targets by the operator on the ground.
This makes it almost impossible for enemy aircraft to deploy counter measures such as flares to distract the missile because,
unlike the US-made Stinger, it does not home in on infrared energy.