The UK becomes the first Western country to supply Ukraine with weaponry that can strike the Russian deep rear, in the form of Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles.
In order to support the long-awaited Ukrainian “spring counter-offensive” and to pressure other allies, such as the U.S., to deliver the long-range guided weaponry that Kiev has been asking for months to be able to strike targets inside Russian territory, London supplied several Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles.
The delivery of this armament was confirmed by the UK Minister of Defense, Ben Wallace, when he was giving a report on the war situation in Ukraine to the House of Commons.
“Today I can confirm that the UK is donating Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine. Storm Shadow is a long range, conventional only, precision strike capability. It complements the long range system already gifted, including HIMARS and Harpoon missiles, as well as Ukraine’s own Neptune cruise missile…”, Ben Wallace told MPs yesterday.
“The use of Storm Shadow will allow Ukraine to push back Russian forces based within Ukrainian sovereign territory. Russia must recognise that their actions alone have led to such systems being provided to Ukraine. It is my judgement as a defence secretary that this is a calibrated and proportionate response to Russia’s escalations..”, he added.
Storm Shadow
The Storm Shadow missile system is a product of the European defense conglomerate MBDA. This autonomous air-launched strike missile has a range of up to 560 km (the UK version). Its low radar signature design and low altitude flight profile help it evade enemy radar detection.
The system’s functionality includes a two-stage BROACH warhead. The first stage employs a penetrator charge to breach surface structures, followed by a secondary explosive charge.
The Storm Shadow utilizes a terrain reference navigation system and GPS for guidance, providing accurate target engagement. Its primary targets are stationary assets such as command centers, bunkers, and infrastructure.
