Die Ukraine has long requested long-range weapons. Great Britain comply with this request now. According to the British Ministry of Defence, work has already begun Storm Shadows deliver to Ukraine.
Storm Shadow is a cruise missile that costs over a million US dollars each. This is fired from airplanes. The export version that Ukraine gets has a range of over 250 kilometers. This makes it the longest-range weapon that Ukraine has received from a western country since the beginning of the war.
Target Russian supply chain
With it, Ukraine could even shell targets in Russia. However, the UK government has approved the supply of the Storm Shadow on the condition that it will only be used against targets within the country’s borders. However, this includes the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, such as the Cream. Ukraine has repeatedly attacked targets in Crimea, for example with floating and flying kamikaze drones.
The manufacturer’s Storm Shadow MBDA was built for attacking stationary targets. She weighs 1.3 tons and has a Warhead with 450 kilograms Weight. This one has one tandem load and can be used against fortified targets such as bunkers. The first charge penetrates concrete and steel. The second charge then detonates inside the structure.
Ukraine has announced plans to attack Russia’s supply lines with Storm Shadow. This includes ammunition depots, but also control centers and the logistics chain in occupied Ukrainian territory.
Hard-to-intercept fire-and-forget missile
With just under 1,000 km/h the Storm Shadow is significantly faster than Ukraine’s previous kamikaze drones and therefore more difficult to intercept. It has a low radar profile and flies to the target at an altitude of only 30 to 40 meters – this should also help it avoid being caught by anti-aircraft defenses and shot down.
The rocket is programmed before the plane takes off. That makes her a so-called Fire-and-Forget-Waffe. The pilot of the jet just presses the button to launch the Storm Shadow – the rocket does the rest. Using GPS and the comparison of the terrain, it steers towards the target point. Shortly before the finish, it rises and then falls from above. This increases penetration and improves accuracy.
One Infrared camera compares the environment with the saved terrain maps in the final dive in order to hit the target exactly. The Storm Shadow can be programmed to fly to a predefined crash point and crash if the target is not properly identified. This is to prevent collateral damage.
Deployed with Su-27 and Su-24
The British government had actually announced in February that it would be supplying Storm Shadows to Ukraine. The reason for the delay is that they first had to test whether the missile could be safely fired from Ukraine’s jets. Namely, the Storm Shadow was made for European aircraft such as the Tornado, Mirage 2000 and the Eurofighter. However, Ukraine has Russian-designed aircraft in its air force.
Exactly which machines Ukraine will use to fire the Storm Shadow is not yet known. Due to the heavy weight of 1.3 tons, the MiG-29 and Su-25 are omitted for this job, reports The Drive. Therefore, the larger jets Su-27 Flanker and the older Su-24 Fencer will probably be equipped with the Cruise Missile. In theory, it would be possible to convert the Storm Shadow to be ground-launched. However, this does not appear to be planned at the moment.
Threat to Russian infrastructure
The Storm Shadow poses new challenges for Russia. For example, Russia would have to position powerful anti-aircraft guns near targets previously out of reach of Ukraine. This means, however, that this anti-aircraft defense has to be taken from other places – which in turn makes the Russian anti-aircraft screen full of holes. Ukraine could use this for a large-scale counteroffensive.
These targets probably include the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the Port of Sevastopol in the Crimea and the Crimean Bridge. This connects the Russian mainland with Crimea and thus represents a strategically important connection for Russian troop transports to Ukraine. In October 2022, the bridge was partially destroyed. It has only been fully passable again since spring 2023.
Storm Shadow as a test run for more long-range weapons
Should Ukraine use the Storm Shadow effectively, it could convince other western states to supply similar weapon systems. Ukraine has been requesting cruise missiles of this type from the USA for some time ATACMSthe ones from HiMARS can be started from. This has a range of 300 kilometers. So far, the US has ruled out the delivery over fears that Ukraine could use it to fire on targets in Russia.
If, based on the experience with the Storm Shadow, the USA gives in and supplies ATACMS, this could bring Russia into great difficulties. Because these are ground-launched and have even more range than the Storm Shadow, the current anti-air screen would be little effective against them. Russia would need to move even more modern air defenses to strategically important targets – or move those targets back into its own country from the occupied territories, which in turn lengthens the logistics chain and slows the supply of troops to the front lines.
