Storm Shadow missiles give Ukraine 'a much longer stick,' but Russia is already learning to adapt, expert says

Table Of Content

• Storm Shadow: Ukraine’s newest weapon to defend against Russia’s invasion
• What is a Storm Shadow missile? Who makes the cruise missiles and why the UK is sending them to Ukraine
• 'I'll be happy on the UK state pension in Italy, a glass of wine is just £2.50'
• Ukraine says Russian looting has increased in occupied regions
• Britain says it is donating long-range ‘Storm Shadow’ missiles to Ukraine.

But because Storm Shadows don’t require fire control instructions from the launching fighter, they should be comparatively easy to add onto the Ukrainian Air Force’s Soviet warplanes. Wallace stated that the Storm Shadows were supplied with assurances from Ukraine that they would only be used for strikes on Russian-occupied parts of the country, such as logistical centers in Starobilsk and Melitopol. The CSIS Missile Defense Project’s monthly newsletter has info on the project’s latest publications, events, and missile defense news. The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) placed a €1.13bn contract with MBDA Systems for the development and production of the Storm Shadow long range missile in 1997. The programme was intended to meet the conventionally armed stand-off missile (CASOM) requirement of the UK Royal Air Force (RAF). But since Ukraine began using the missiles in mid-May, "we've not seen tremendous impact on the Russian force," Kofman said, "and part the reason for that is the adaptations in the Russian military that were caused by the introduction of HIMARS last June."

Storm Shadow: Ukraine’s newest weapon to defend against Russia’s invasion

According to ArmedForces.co.uk, the BROACH warhead features an initial penetrating charge to clear soil or enter a bunker, then a variable delay fuse to control detonation of the main warhead. The remarks are the latest in a series of public criticisms from him of Moscow’s Ministry of Defense for the faltering invasion of Ukraine — and, in particular, the failure to capture the city of Bakhmut. But while Prigozhin has frequently poured scorn on the Russian military and its leadership, he has not previously accused Russian units of running from battle and allowing Ukrainian forces to recapture territory.

What is a Storm Shadow missile? Who makes the cruise missiles and why the UK is sending them to Ukraine

That means each shot will have to count, and there won’t be an indefinite resupply of missiles, making avoiding interception even more pertinent. Western governments might see whether Middle Eastern Storm Shadow clients (Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE) are amenable to quietly selling back missiles in exchange for newly-built replacements later. Those sold to the Middle East are believed to be a downgraded variant with 180-mile range sometimes dubbed the Black Shaheen—still potentially useful for Ukraine’s purposes. The Indian Air Force (IAF) approached MBDA for recalibrating the software of Rafale fighter jet’s SCALP missile in December 2020. Storm Shadow was successfully fired from the RAF’s Tornado GR4 aircraft during Operation Telic in 2003.

'I'll be happy on the UK state pension in Italy, a glass of wine is just £2.50'

At the end of April that was followed up with the gifting of several “Stormer” armoured vehicles fitted with anti-air missile launchers. APACHE stands for Arme Propulsée À CHarges Éjectables, a 1983 French project to develop an anti-runway cruise missile equipped with submunitions. The Systeme de Croisiere conventionale Autonome a Longue Portee (SCALP EG) was developed subsequently to carry penetrating warheads. The UK has confirmed it is supplying Ukraine with long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles, to aid in its continuing fight against Russia’s invasion.

Overall, Storm Shadow is a potent long-distance strike weapon Ukraine will have to employ judiciously for maximum effect—though even the likely modest number transferred to Ukraine will likely to cause anxiety to Russian logisticians, commanders, and air defense personnel. In theory, then, Storm Shadow and similar weapons could give Ukrainian planners a second “happy period,” as Russian depots and HQs again fall into convenient precision-strike range—potentially devastating if timed to coincide with Ukraine’s anticipated 2023 counteroffensive. When, in the summer of 2022, Ukraine began using Western-supplied HIMAR systems to launch GMLR precision-guided rockets out to a range of 56 miles, it resulted in a succession of spectacularly destructive attacks on Russian HQs, airbases, and ammo depots.

Britain says it is donating long-range ‘Storm Shadow’ missiles to Ukraine.

The Brimstone 1 missiles are typically used for firing on tanks, artillery units and landing craft and typically shot from aircraft, although they are being shot in Ukraine from modified trucks. This is a mixture of next-generation light anti-tank weapons, which have a range of up to 600 metres and weigh just 12.5 kilograms and Javelin anti-tank missiles, which have double the range but are twice as heavy. Like so many weapon systems, the Storm Shadow and its variants have seen operational use in Iraq, Libya, and Syria. Storm Shadow is 5.1 meters (16’ 8”) long, weighs 1,300 kilograms (2,860 lbs.), and carries a 400 kg. (880 lb.) high explosive Bomb Royal Ordnance Augmented Charge (BROACH) warhead from BAE Systems.

SCALP EG / Storm Shadow / SCALP Naval / Black Shaheen / APACHE AP Missile Threat - Missile Threat

SCALP EG / Storm Shadow / SCALP Naval / Black Shaheen / APACHE AP Missile Threat.

Posted: Wed, 20 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

"They're effective weapons," Michael Kofman, an expert on the Russian military at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said on a July 14 episode of the Geopolitics Decanted podcast, recorded while he was visiting Ukraine. "They're difficult to intercept, and it gives Ukraine, to put it crudely, a much longer stick." The U.K. Ministry of Defence entered into a 1.13 billion-pound contract with MBDA Systems in 1997 for the development and production of the Storm Shadow missile, according to Airforce Technology. The intent was to provide the Royal Air Force with a conventionally armed stand-off missile. Is the second-largest military aid supplier to Ukraine after the U.S., contributing about 2.3 billion pounds ($2.9 billion) worth of support last year, according to Reuters.

Defence secretary Ben Wallace on Thursday confirmed the gifting but did not say how many of the UK’s 700-1,000 missiles would be sent. Bakhmut is the site of a months-long assault by Russian forces, including Wagner mercenaries, that has driven thousands from their homes and left the area devastated. But despite the vast amounts of manpower Russia has poured into capturing the city — using tactics that have been compared to a “meat grinder” — they have been unable to take total control, and on Wednesday suffered heavy losses in the area. He said Russia will implement all necessary security measures following the incident. Ukrainian officials and the United States have repeatedly denied being behind a drone attack on the Kremlin. No casualties were reported, but two residential buildings and a car were damaged, he added.

In February 2017, MBDA led the mid-life refurbishment of Storm Shadow / SCALP EG cruise missiles for the UK and French Ministries of Defence. Garton Ash lays out the warmongering rationale behind delivering long-range missiles—unlocking the potential of Ukraine’s anticipated counteroffensive, a bloodbath in the making. Storm Shadow is being utilized by multiple other air forces, including in Egypt, Greece, India, Italy, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—the latter of which refers to the missile as the Black Shaheen.

As Ukraine will not have nearly as many cruise missiles available, Adel suggested Ukraine might instead launch concerted attacks with drones and SDB glide bombs (both ground- and air-launched) supported by electronic warfare systems to confuse and overwhelm Russian air defenses. The United Kingdom has supplied Ukraine with multiple Storm Shadow cruise missiles, giving Ukrainian forces a new long-range strike capability in advance of a highly anticipated counteroffensive against Russian forces, multiple senior Western officials told CNN. As the country prepares to launch a counteroffensive, those demands have become more urgent.

Ukraine’s promise not to strike Russian soil with Western-supplied missiles could also inspire a false flag attack making it appear it has done so—a well-established tactic in Putin’s playbook. As Ukraine is sporadically attacking targets in Russia (mainly airbases, oil depots and electrical infrastructure) using agents and domestically-built drones and missiles, there could be grounds for confusion and misinformation. The Ukrainian air force had carried out several strikes, it said, including against a Russian electronic warfare unit. The Ukrainians appear to be trying to disrupt both Russian military communications and electronic warfare capabilities ahead of a counteroffensive. Another drone was shot down by Russian air defense systems over the region, Gladkov said. The governor said there were no casualties and that response teams are assessing the aftermath on the ground.

The Storm Shadow cruise missile has a range of over 250km (155 miles), according to the manufacturer. Fortunately for Ukraine, Storm Shadow donations are more likely to be scalable than the UK’s rare Challenger 2 tanks, as the missiles are also in France’s inventory—under the designation SCALP-EG—and Italy’s. The Storm Shadow missile is designed to strike the targets with an enhanced accuracy, employing different navigation systems installed onboard. The Storm Shadow can be integrated into Tornado GR4, Tornado IDS, Saab Gripen, Mirage 2000, Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft. In March 2021, the missile was launched by UK Royal Air Force’s Eurofighter Typhoon for the first time on operations against the Islamic State in Iraq.

In May, the government announced that it would provide Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles, which are a long-range precision strike capability. The UK is the first country to provide Ukraine with missiles with a range sufficient to strike targets anywhere in the country. Following a visit to Kyiv by the prime minister, Downing Street also confirmed on April 9 that the UK would provide Ukraine with 120 armoured vehicles and new Harpoon anti-ship missile systems.

During a visit to Kyiv on 19 November, the prime minister announced “a major new package” of air defence support. The UK will provide 125 anti-aircraft guns and counter-drone technology, including radars and anti-drone electronic warfare capability. The delivery of Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine comes as the country gears up for its highly anticipated counteroffensive, which is expected to be aimed at liberating occupied territory in the eastern and southern regions. While there are speculations over when the offensive will actually begin, Kyiv's forces have enjoyed some recent territorial gains through counterattacks around the war-torn city of Bakhmut, where intense and brutal fighting has raged for months.