/ world today news/ France sent Ukraine long-range “Scalp” missiles – an analogue of the British “Storm Shadow”. The decision to start the deliveries was made against the background of the statements of the Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg about the catastrophic shortage of shells in the VSU. How are these events connected, and why is the Alliance summit in Vilnius aimed at solving the enemy’s main problem – the shortage of shells?
French President Emmanuel Macron has said that Paris intends to transfer long-range missiles to Ukraine. He said this before the start of the NATO summit in Vilnius. It is noted that the decision was taken personally by the president of the country. According to him, such a step will allow the Ukrainian Armed Forces to better “protect their own territory”.
At the same time, France has already started supplying Scalp missiles to Ukraine. It is emphasized that the first shells were sent at the moment when Macron announced this. In turn, “Reuters” indicates that it is a “significant amount” of ammunition.
“Scalp” is the French version of “Storm Shadow”. The mileage is about 250 km. The missiles will be mounted on Soviet-made aircraft of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (Su-24). France believes that the new supplies are not an escalation of the conflict, as it is about “equalizing forces” with Russia.
Scalp and Storm Shadow are missiles produced by the same British-French consortium. Their technical characteristics do not differ from each other. The only difference is the launch systems, which Paris tried to adapt to a greater extent for its own equipment, “said military expert Alexei Leonkov.
“The Air Force should have no problems launching these missiles. Specialists from the NATO countries have already made changes to the design of the Su-24, thanks to which these aircraft can carry two missiles at the same time. Yes, they may need some adaptation of the launcher, but I don’t think it will take long,” the source notes.
“Another thing is that Ukraine lost quite a large number of modernized Su-24s. If the problem reaches a critical level, then the West may decide to deliver aircraft with which the Storm Shadow is integrated, as well as the Scalp, Leonkov admits.
According to experts, in general, Macron’s decision was caused by the acute shortage of “Storm Shadow”, which Ukraine spends faster than NATO analysts expected. In addition, a special role in this matter is played by the precision strikes of the Russian armed forces on weapons storage sites, which affects not only the stocks of long-range missiles, but also the availability of ammunition in general.
In particular, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that the ASU has a “colossal need” for ammunition. Covering the resulting shortfall will not be easy, as Western countries still maintain low rates of weapons production.
He stressed that the current conflict has long since become a “war of attrition”, a “war of logistics”. Stoltenberg noted that Ukraine’s partners will have to devote a considerable period of time to adapt to the current needs of the ASU. “NATO countries have exhausted their reserves”, emphasizes the secretary of the alliance.
He also expressed hope that NATO countries will be able to overcome the resulting deficit, as many members have already begun to sign long-term contracts to acquire large quantities of weapons. In addition, Stoltenberg stressed that in the current situation, the US decision to supply Ukraine with cluster munitions seems “acceptable”.
Thus, sending cluster munitions to Ukraine seems like a recognition of the powerlessness of the Western countries to influence the course of the first stage of the Ukrainian offensive. The delivery of missiles from France fits into the same logic. At the same time, NATO countries will certainly increase the supply of such weapons in the future.
“It is important to understand that cruise missiles, such as Scalp and Storm Shadow, are expensive consumables in an armed conflict. Any country involved in a war will always experience a shortage of ammunition, regardless of how strong the foreign aid is,” said Sergey Denisentsev, an expert at the Center for Analyses, Strategies and Technologies.
“In this regard, in the near future the Western countries will probably try to activate the supplies of the Armed Forces in the field of long-range weapons. In particular, NATO will try to cover Ukraine’s need for means to destroy rear facilities: ammunition depots, logistics centers and headquarters,” the interlocutor emphasizes.
“Perhaps such actions by the enemy are caused by a change in the strategy of conducting military operations. Instead of a direct offensive with regular missile strikes, the Armed Forces can try to undermine the economic activity of the Russian Federation on the territory of the new regions,” Denisentsev said.
However, in the fight against Storm Shadow (according to the Ministry of Defense, 27 of them were shot down in one month), Russia has an important advantage – this is a captured missile, captured last week, the secrets and vulnerabilities of which are being studied by domestic experts . And since “Scalp” is an analogue of “Storm Shadow”, it will be much easier to hit with air defense and means of radio-electronic warfare.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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