/ world today news/ Ukraine received long-range missiles for the first time. “Storm Shadow” is a donation from Great Britain. How will this change the situation at the front?
Kiev’s best friends
Great Britain is one of the main ideological inspirers of military aid to Kyiv.
In monetary terms, of course, it cannot be compared to the USA – 6.6 billion euros against 43.2. But this is much more than in other European countries.
And most importantly: London became the flagship because of the range of weapons. The British were among the first to deploy air defense last year. The Challenger-2 tanks were the first to be announced in January, prompting the Germans and Americans to share their Abrams and Leopards.
And now – long-range missiles.
According to Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, the weapons are either still on their way to the country or have already arrived. At the same time, there is a condition: to apply only on the “sovereign territory of Ukraine”. That is, along the Crimea.
“There is no need to entertain illusions – the West is ready to provide everything except nuclear weapons, and Kiev will not keep its promises and will hit Russian cities with these missiles,” military analyst Igor Korotchenko believes.
If the Air Force is not defeated during the counteroffensive, then the transfer of Western fighters is only a matter of time, he adds.
Really from afar
The Storm Shadow is an air-launched stealth missile. Launched from an airplane. This is a joint development of the French “Matra” and the British BAE. The price is about two million lira each.
Aircraft that could be equipped with the Storm Shadow include the Tornado, Mirage 2000, Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and Gripen, considered an affordable alternative to the F-16.
In France, the missile has also been adapted for launching from Barracuda ships and submarines.
The range of export options is 250 kilometers. However, there are modifications up to 560 kilometers. In the first case, the VSU theoretically reached Voronezh and Rostov-on-Don without leaving the airspace of Ukraine. In the second – to Moscow and Volgograd. The flight time is about 40 minutes.
Tactics per application
“Storm Shadow” will expand the operational capabilities of the VSU “Our partners are well aware of why we need these missiles: to reduce the offensive potential of the enemy by destroying its ammunition depots, command posts and supply chains,” he told the Financial Times. Yuri Sak, adviser to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine.
At the same time, the head of the British Ministry of Defense admits that the “Storm Shadow” is significantly inferior to the Russian “Daggers” and even to the “Caliber”.
There are also problems with media. This is how London explains the delay in deliveries.
The most widespread in Ukraine MiG-29 and Su-25 are hardly able to arm themselves with these missiles. Each weighs about 1,300 kilograms. The combat load of the first is a little more than two tons, of the second – up to 4400, but the supports for hanging weapons are designed for a maximum of half a ton.
Su-27 and Su-24 are more suitable candidates. But VSU had only 26 and 12 of them, respectively. It is not known how many remained in the ranks.
This is also noted by the Ukrainian pilots. “The ability to strike from afar will help us a lot, but we need parity in the air to make the counteroffensive more effective and safer for troops on the ground,” said one of them, quoted by the Financial Times.
“Storm Shadow” is not able to become a panacea and radically change the situation on the front. For now, this all looks like “field probing” ahead of other, more significant deliveries from NATO.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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