Ukraine fires British Storm Shadow long-range missiles at Russian territory

(CLO) Ukraine fired a barrage of UK Storm Shadow cruise missiles at Russia on Wednesday, the latest Western weapon it has been authorized to use against Russian territory a day after it fired US ATACMS missiles.

The airstrikes were widely reported by Russian war correspondents on Telegram and confirmed by an unnamed official, according to Reuters. Specifically, according to Clash Report, fragments of a British Storm Shadow missile were found near the village of Maryino in Russia's Kursk region.

Clash Report shared a photo on X of a piece of debris labeled Storm Shadow stamped on metal. Russian war correspondents on Telegram posted a video that they said captured the sound of a missile hitting the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine.

Earlier, The Times reported that the UK had approved Ukraine to use its Storm Shadow missiles to strike deep into Russian territory, citing British government sources on November 20.

Storm Shadow missiles are typically launched from fighter aircraft. Photo: MBDA

A British Foreign Office official said the "turning point" came when North Korean troops were reported to have been deployed to Russia to join the fighting, which was seen as a "serious escalation".

Five former British defence ministers, along with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, have urged current Prime Minister Keir Starmer to allow Ukraine to use Storm Shadow missiles.

Storm Shadow is a Franco-British long-range air-launched cruise missile jointly developed by Matra and British Aerospace since 1994. "Storm Shadow" is the English name of the weapon, in France it is known as SCALP-EG.

Since 2023, during the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Storm Shadow missiles have been supplied to Kiev in large quantities. Many Russian ships have been sunk or damaged by this type of missile, but it has not been used to attack Russian territory before.

A Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 carries two Storm Shadow missiles under the fuselage. Photo: Royal Air Force

The Storm Shadow is capable of striking strategic targets deep behind enemy lines. It has a range of up to 250 km. Unlike many other missiles with similar ranges, the Storm Shadow is a cruise missile, meaning it flies at low altitudes, reducing the chance of being intercepted.

In terms of specifications, the Storm Shadow is about 5.1 meters long and 0.48 meters in diameter, making it relatively compact for a missile with such a range. It weighs about 1,300 kilograms, with nearly half of that weight allocated to the warhead, which contains a high-explosive payload.

Strategically, Storm Shadow is designed to attack critical infrastructure, command and control points, military bases and other high-value targets. The missile is equipped with advanced sensors and guidance systems, including GPS, thermal sensors and electronics for the terminal phase, when the missile approaches the target.

The missile also has satellite-based targeting capabilities allowing it to strike deep behind enemy lines, often at great distances, without sacrificing attack accuracy.

It is important to note that the Storm Shadow is designed to be launched from a variety of platforms, including the UK's Typhoon or Tornado fighters, as well as aircraft from other NATO members.

Bui Huy (according to Clash Report, The Times, NYT)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/them-vuong-quoc-anh-chap-thuan-ukraine-tan-cong-ten-lua-tam-xa-storm-shadow-vao-nga-post322193.html