A Storm Shadow missile inside the Royal Air Force museum in London. By Wikimedia user (Rept0n1x).
On May 11, the United Kingdom confirmed that it had supplied Ukraine with Storm Shadow cruise missiles that has a range of more than 200 kilometers.
The announcement was made in the House of Commons by UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who said that the missiles would “allow Ukraine to push back Russian forces based on Ukrainian sovereign territory”.
Wallace said that the UK took the decision after Russia “continued down a dark path” of targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
“The donation of these missile systems gives Ukraine the best chance of defending themselves against Russia’s brutality,” he told MPs, adding that the missiles were “going into” or already in Ukrainian hands, and describing the move as “calibrated and proportionate to Russia’s escalations”.
Earlier, Western officials told CNN that “multiple” Storm Shadow missiles had been already supplied to Ukraine to support a highly anticipated offensive against the Russian military. The sources added that the UK has received assurances from Kiev that these missiles will be used only within Ukrainian sovereign territory and not inside Russia.
The Storm Shadow is an Anglo-French low-observable, long-range, air-launched cruise missile developed since 1994 by Matra and British Aerospace, and now manufactured by MBDA.
The missile features a GPS-aided inertial navigation system with a terrain profile matching system. For terminal guidance, the missile is equipped with an imaging infrared scene-mapping area correlator system.
A variant of the missile known as SCALP EG [Système de Croisière Autonome à Longue Portée – Emploi Général, meaning General Purpose Long Range Cruise Missile] is in active service with the French Air Force. Another sea-launched variant known as MdCN [Missile de Croisière Naval, meaning Naval Cruise Missile] is in service with the French Navy.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said last February that he was prepared to send long-range missiles to Ukraine, and the British government opened a bidding process for their procurement.
The maximum range of the Storm Shadow is 560 kilometers. However, it is thought that Ukraine received the downgraded export version with a range of 250 kilometers. This is still a 100 kilometers more than the range of the Ground Launched Small Diameter Bombs and 170 kilometers over the range of the M142 HIMARS’s GMLRS rockets, which were previously supplied to Kiev.
In its first comment on the surprise missile delivery, Russia said that Ukraine will face “an adequate response” from its military.
“[The Kremlin is assessing the Storm Shadow supplies] very negatively. This will require a relevant response from our military, which, of course, will make appropriate decisions from a military point of view,” RIA Novosti quoted Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Russian president, as saying.
The Ukrainian Air Force has reportedly integrated the Storm Shadow on its Soviet-era warplanes, most likely Su-27 fighter jets and Su-24 fighter bombers which have the capability to carry the 1,400 kg cruise missile.
While the Storm Shadow is now being touted as another “game changer” and “Wunderwaffe,” its combat history says otherwise.
During the 2018 missile strikes against Syria by the United States, UK and France, the missile performance was nothing short from catastrophic. All eight Storm Shadows launched by British Tornado fighter jets were intercepted by Syrian air defenses. One of the SCALP EG missiles fired by French Rafale fighter jets, missed its target hitting a farm and wounding three civilians. Furthermore, the French Navy failed to launch a number of MdCN missiles.
The remains of a Storm Shadow\SCALP EG missile that was shot down over Syria in 2018. Via Sputnik.
Later in 2021, British Typhoon fighter jets used several Storm Shadow missiles in an attack on ISIS hideouts in northern Iraq. However, at least one of the missiles crashed as a result of a technical failure.
The remains of a British Storm Shadow missile that crashed in Iraq in 2021. Via Twitter.
The Russian military will likely attempt to shoot down Ukrainian fighter jets armed with Storm Shadow cruise missiles with long-range air defense systems. If the missiles are successfully launched, electronic warfare means as well as medium and short-range air defense systems will likely be used to stop them.
Still, it is fair to assume that some of these highly-capable missiles will manage to hit their targets, which could further escalate the conflict in Ukraine.
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According to Russian law, terrorists have to be eliminated. By bombing NS1, NS2 and Crimea bridge, the UK has proven to be a terrorist. So yeah, eliminate the terrorist.
NATO creep wants to go all the way to Vladivostok with Ukronazis while calling Russians the aggressors all the way.
Same crowd behind NATO, their ancestors have been trying the same for centuries, without any results.
They will probably work as badly as all the other old shit we sent the dumb Ukrats.
Given the poor state of UK military I doubt they have many storm missiles to hand over.
Have you not seen how they represent themselves at the Pride Parades? That is how you get promotion in the UK military. Stilletos and corsets, strutting up the streets of London.
These English missiles are subsonic. The Russians shouldn’t have much of a problem shooting them down. Still this is another escalation, can we see now that they will keep escalating until we go all the way to nuclear war?
Didn’t they have a 100% success rate taking out the same missiles in Syria?
They shouldn’t even be getting into Ukraine, if they are coming in by Nato transport aircraft they should be shot down, and there shouldn’t be a railway track in one piece anywhere in Ukraine.
Do you have to launch these from an airplane or can you launch them from a bicycle or fast moving tractor? Asking for a Ukrainian friend.
Launched from aircraft, point i would make aircraft have to be based and land somewhere, that’s where they should be hit.
Spojené kráľovstvo sa týmto stalo účastníkom bojov na Ukrajine v ŠVO!!! RF by mala vyvodiť dôsledky aj pre nich. Pokiaľ RF nedá po frňáku týmto bastardom zo západu tak budú stále provokovať. Myslím, že je čas dať im poriadnu príučku!!!
WOW ! it looks like NATO-USA have decided to attack directly Moscow now ! If this happens, London (the factory of the Storm Shadow missiles ) could suffer several Kinzhal missile strikes.
They never even discussed sending these missiles in Parliament. So no authorisation from the people. Ironically, it is the peace campaigners, that are the most ardent cheerleaders for a thermo-nuclear war, with Russia.
Actually, the big enemy is China.
Must admit, I have wondered about China, and then also the Chinese 5th Column. Do believe the end result will be the same, but, you have one team wanting the uni-polar version. The team that is run by the eugenics crowd. Then you have the other team, that wants the multi-polar version and they are the team that are not obsessed with erasing the planet, to achieve their aims. Guess, I would go for the other Team, headed by BRICS than the uni-polar Western Group.
However, China are also part of that eugenics team.
Are there two teams though? One side is heavily involved with WEF and Schwab, but, the other team is heavily involved in the multi-polar version. Munching on the popcorn, as part of the jigsaw that does not make sense, or perhaps does and do not want to go there.
China is also involved with Schwab. These elites will leave the ruined US soon.
Why is that have they done anything to you?
I don’t say about me. I say about them.
Russia knows that Westminster and Washington DC are begging for nuclear warfare. Too much coming out of the Biden Family Files, that will also implicate Boris and friends.
I wonder what the expiry date is, for those missiles? Are they brand new, or past their sell-by-date? How many, funded by the UK tax payer, and never discussed in Parliament are going to Ukraine? How long will they last, before they are the main event for the next firework display in Kiev? What will Kiev use as a carrier? Have they any carriers left?
Question, will Russia now support the Irish radicals with weapons?
The Irish radicals, are all part and parcel of the same crowd, funded by the City of London. Just too thick to realise it. Do believe that Russia will have more imaginative ways to strike us, over here in the UK. Economy, so comes to mind.
IRA are terrorists for me, just like ETA, FARC and PLO/PFLP.
Ditto, maternal side is Irish and lived in London, avoiding many IRA strikes, back in the 70s. They ran exactly the same script that Ukraine Nazis are running, together with BLM, IS IS and all the others. Ironic, that the IRA was created the same year that the Bolsheviks overthrew the Russian Empire and not long after the FED Reserve was created.
IRA was supported by Soviet Union and guess who else. Muammar Qaddafi.
The Irish wouldn’t dare to offend the Brits or Americans, they look up to them, they may seem opposite but are inseparable, they are the Celtic tribe, settlers looking for new settlements- Russia
Just watch Claire Daly.
Name the UK firms making and supplying these missiles the location where they are produced and identify the individual’s running the company! Also locate and destroy all of these weapons as soon as they arrive in Poland or in flight to Poland
Ironically, made in France, over in Paris.
Calm down Russian soldiers, get drunk without fear, go take a nap, NATO weapons are pure junk, Southfront readers guarantee it.
Gaslighting – Defender Exercise 2022 – how many NATO military serving personnel were arrested, shortly before the exercise for being drunk? When did the Norwegian frigate get taken out, during a NATO exercise?
Kill ALL English parasites with one strike! Death to evil empire!
The jihadi Bosnians also
The motherf@cking british gouvernment cant find rest until they would get a H-bomb deleting London from the Earths surface.
How long before Russia unleashes real hell on Earth?
Lies lies lies people.
This is all a dog and pony show.