Ukraine: What are the British Storm Shadow Rockets That Launched Against Russia · Global Voices

After the “green” light given by the US to Kiev for the use of the long-range ATACMS, the launch on Wednesday (20.11.2024) for the first time cruise Storm Shadow missiles inside Russia. Ukraine, which has received the British missiles for a year, has used them before, but only to hit targets in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, such as Crimea. U.S. approval seems to have caused London to change its policy as it in turn approved the use of Storm Shadow missiles by Ukraine against Russia’s territories, according to OnAlert. What are Storm Shadow missiles? The long-range cruise rockets Storm Shadow is produced by the European MBDA company, jointly from France and Britain and has a range of approximately 250 kilometres (155 mi), according to the manufacturer. The French call their own Scalp version. According to some reports, the missile range reaches all 500 km, however it is quite unlikely that a rocket was given with such ranges in Ukraine. It is launched by aircraft such as Eurofighter, Rafale and Mirage, which are feature by the British and French Air Force. Ukraine, which does not have such aircraft, had to make significant modifications to the Su-24, Su-25 and Su-27 fighters to be able to carry the missiles. Storm Shadow flies low to the ground to avoid enemy radar and air defense systems and uses an advanced guidance system based on a combination of GPS and ground reporting data (Terrain Reference Navigation) to find his way to the target, even in poor weather conditions. With a weight of 1,300 kg and a length of 5.10 meters, it is a fairly large rocket, while using a turbojet propulsion system. The mighty BROACH head The Storm Shadow rocket is considered an ideal weapon to penetrate heavily fortified targets due to its powerful explosive head. That is why, as the Ukrainian media reports, he launched 12 missiles against an underground Russian command center in Kursk, in which he probably found officers from North Korea. It is equipped with an innovative head system, known as “Broach” (Bomb Royal Ordnance Augmented CHArge). The Broach head is specially designed to penetrate underground and heavily fortified targets. Unlike conventional head designs, the Broach head system uses a two-stage approach. The first stage of the system is designed to create a “opening” on the outer layer of the target. In the second stage, the bomb exploits the opening and penetrates deeper into the target. What will Storm Shadow impact on the battlefield? Kiev has long been asking to use long-range Western missiles within Russia, resulting in Moscow having already taken steps. He has moved bombers, missiles and some of the infrastructure further away from the Ukrainian border with Ukraine and beyond the range of Storm Shadow. Western officials question the overall impact the use of Storm Shadow and ATACMS will have on the battlefield. However, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has located about 225 Russian bases located within the range of American and British missiles. Private intelligence company’s special analyst Justin Crump Sibylline argues that while Russian air defense has evolved to face Storm Shadow on occupied territories, it will now be much more difficult given the range of territory that could now be attacked. “This will make military custody, command and control and air support more difficult,” he says. “Even if Russian aircraft go further behind the Ukrainian border to avoid the threat, time and cost per flight to the front will increase,” he adds. Matthew Saville, director of military science at the RUSI institute, believes that their use could create a dilemma for Russia, as to where to place its air defense systems, which could facilitate the passage of Ukraine’s drones. Eventually, however, says Saville, long-range missiles are unlikely to change the situation. “Ukraine doesn’t have many missiles and Britain has very few to give”. Source: OnAlert.gr