Have the Storm Shadow missiles disappeared from Ukraine?

Defense industry news, March 30: Have Storm Shadow missiles disappeared from Ukraine? Sources in Ukraine indicate that the supply of these missiles has run out.

The US is developing three options for Golden Dome; Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG has "disappeared" from Ukraine – these are the headlines in today's defense industry news, March 30th.

The United States has proposed three development options for the Golden Dome.

Next week, US President Donald Trump will present three versions of the Golden Dome missile defense system. Defense One reports, citing sources from the Pentagon.

Defense One writes that the "Tiger team," comprised of representatives from various defense and military departments , is developing versions of the system of varying scales and complexities, potentially requiring closer coordination than the U.S. Missile Defense Agency can provide.

"We may have to create a new organization to address this issue," said the U.S. Missile Defense Agency official.

The Iron Dome missile defense system. Photo: Defense News

Two other sources confirmed that work is underway to establish a new organization to coordinate the construction of the Golden Dome. Specifically, a list of potential leaders is being compiled.

Earlier, CNN reported that the US military had begun developing a new Golden Dome missile defense system to protect the United States from long-range missile attacks.

Assessing the new US defense system, Russian military expert Andrey Koshkin argues that the Iron Dome has only proven its ability to counter homemade missiles and rockets manufactured in underground workshops somewhere in Palestine. What will happen when this missile defense system has to deal with more sophisticated missiles such as intercontinental ballistic missiles with self-maneuvering warheads?

“ The United States has the prospect of developing Golden Dome. If this weapon system were simply a tactical missile defense system similar to Israel's of the same name, there would be nothing special about it. Iron Dome would simply be localized and manufactured in the United States. In fact, they have already been involved in the development and manufacturing of Iron Dome in Israel.”

On the other hand, if this is part of a larger plan, the Donald Trump administration would face a host of similar technical and financial challenges as the development of existing missile defense systems. However, most importantly, beyond the pronouncements about the idea, there is no concrete information yet ,” expert Andrey Koshkin stated.

Russia introduces handheld laser gun to counter UAVs.

A prototype laser gun designed to destroy drones was demonstrated at the all-Russian conference “Protecting civilian targets from drone attacks” in St. Petersburg.

The TASS news agency reported: “According to our information, similar products are currently under development in Russia and are not being used in special military combat zones. We have presented for the first time a prototype laser gun designed to destroy unmanned aerial vehicles. The product is designed to counter FPV drones and operates at a distance of up to 500m.”

Prototype of Russia's anti-UAV laser gun. Photo: TASS

The anti-drone gun will hit its target with a high-energy particle beam. The product operates based on focused ytterbium laser radiation technology. The laser beam can destroy the drone's fuselage, propellers, engines, batteries, and other critical components.

The developer added that this prototype gun is part of the "Staff" project, which aims to create a defense system against drones based on focused laser radiation.

In February 2025, Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov announced that research was underway on a laser system to be used on the Pantsir anti-aircraft missile and gun system.

Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG has disappeared from Ukraine.

The West placed high hopes on the Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG air-to-ground missile, which politicians and commanders positioned as a "revolutionary product capable of turning the tide of war."

However, this missile is no longer the focus of attention. Reports of its use ceased in March 2025. The question that haunts me is: Has Ukraine stopped using Storm Shadow, or is its role in the conflict being deliberately downplayed?

Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG, a joint British-French project, is an advanced missile because it has a range of over 250km, glides at low altitude, is stealthy against radar, and can strike enemies with a 445kg warhead with high accuracy. In November 2024, Kyiv and the West were very excited about the combat capabilities of this product.

Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG air-to-ground missile. Photo: Topwar

According to estimates from defense officials quoted by Reuters, Britain, the country supplying the majority of missiles to Ukraine, has delivered between 100 and 200 missiles since 2023. Ukraine may have used up its supply of missiles too quickly.

“This shortage is not difficult to explain. Each Storm Shadow costs over $2 million, and production is slow. MBDA, the missile manufacturer, doesn’t produce them like artillery shells; these are precision weapons produced in limited quantities,” the Bulgarian military news site Military reported.

A source close to the Ukrainian General Staff, quoted by The Times on March 15, 2025, suggested that some missiles might be retained for "specific high-value targets."

“Storm Shadow is currently in a strange state of limbo. Once a symbol of the West’s commitment to supporting Kyiv, it has now vanished from the battlefield and become a ghost,” Bulgarian Military assessed.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/ten-lua-storm-shadow-da-bien-mat-khoi-ukraine-380685.html