How is the powerful long-range Storm Shadow missile that the United Kingdom delivered to Ukraine to fight Russia

The powerful long-range Storm Shadow missiles delivered by the United Kingdom to Ukraine to help change the course of the war they have already entered combat.

Proof of its use is recorded in the war part of the Ministry of Defense of Russia of this Tuesday, where Moscow claims its air defense intercepted seven Storm Shadow missiles.

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While on Saturday, the authorities imposed by Russia in the Ukrainian region of lugansk claimed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces used at least two missiles last Friday Storm Shadow.

The air-to-surface cruise missiles Storm Shadow are the same ones used by the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom and have a range of up to 400 kilometres. In other words, these projectiles can easily hit Russian territory, although kyiv has promised London not to do so so as not to escalate the conflict into an unknown area.

A Tornado GR4 617 aircraft carrying Storm Shadow missiles. (MBDA).

MBDA.

Specifically, one of the objectives of the Storm Shadow delivered to Ukraine is to hit the Russian rear, especially the supply depots of weapons, fuel and other supplies located behind war front lines.

In addition, the delivery of the missiles occurred while Ukraine last a great counteroffensive that has as final objective the recovery of the annexed Crimea. To do this, kyiv has been accumulating weapons delivered by the West throughout the winter.

As reported by the portal El Español, the Storm Shadow (Storm Shadow) is a cruise missile that originates from French Apache shells. It was developed since 1994 by the French manufacturer Matra and British Aerospace. They are currently manufactured by the European consortium MBDA Missile Systems.

MBDA Missile Systems describes the Storm Shadow as a “deep attack weapon” able to “work day and night in any weather” and equipped with a sophisticated orientation system.

the missile Storm Shadow it has a range of between 250 and 400 km and has a 450 kg warhead, which is capable of penetrating reinforced targets such as bunkers.

In addition to bunkers, it is designed to destroy command, control and communications posts, airfields, critical infrastructure, surface ships, submarines in port and bridges.

The missile is 5.1 meters long and has a total weight of 1,300 kilos. In addition, it advances at a speed of 800 kilometers per hour.

It is powered by a turbojet and has been adapted to be able to be launched from various combat aircraft, such as the Tornado IDS, Dassault Rafale or the eurofighter.

Once fired, the missile cannot be controlled or ordered to self-destruct, and its target information cannot be changed. The missile follows a trajectory in a semi-autonomous way, in a low flight guided by GPS and mapping the terrain to the target. Once you are close to the target, the missile makes an upward trajectory and then plummetsdetails The Spanish.

El Español specifies that the delivery of the missile to Ukraine was delayed due to difficulties in fitting it out for fighters MiG of Soviet origin used by the Ukrainian Air Force. In addition, this year Poland announced the donation to Ukraine of a dozen MiG-29 and then Slovakia did the same.

A Polish Air Force MIG-29 similar to those delivered by that country to Ukraine. (Photo: AP).

In the past, the Storm Shadow was used in war operations when attack planes Panavia Tornado GR4 of the RAF bombed Iraq during the 2003 invasion.

In addition, after being integrated into aircraft eurofighter typhoonthe missiles were used in March 2021 against Islamic State targets in northern Iraq.

The Storm Shadow missiles that the UK delivered to Ukraine. (AFP).

Can these missiles be intercepted? According to its manufacturer, enemy air defenses cannot see it.

But according to Frontier India, Russia’s S-350 Vityaz and S-300V4 medium-range anti-aircraft missile systems are optimized to intercept fast, low-flying cruise missiles like the Storm Shadow.

According to the Russians, it is certain that each system S-350 intercept almost any cruise missile from 15 to 60 kilometers away. Also they Buk systems They are capable of destroying them.

Source: Elcomercio