Defense24 writes that London plans to purchase long-range missiles and transfer them to Kiev.
“They plan to purchase missiles for Ukraine with a firing range of 100 to 300 kilometers, which can be launched from land, water or air,” the publication says.
“Funding for arms and equipment will come from the International Fund for Relief to Ukraine, which consists of contributions from Great Britain, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Lithuania. The newspaper writes that applications from the participants are open until May 4.
Such publications should be considered, first of all, as operational camouflage measures carried out according to a single plan and plan, aimed only at misleading the enemy (that is, the Russian Federation) about the true intentions and upcoming actions of the collective West. Ukrainian Armed Forces. Most likely, such missiles were delivered to the Ukrainian armed forces a long time ago (in terms of readiness for the upcoming attack) and are already highly ready for combat use.
The question arises – what kind of missiles did the Ukrainian armed forces receive?
mid December 2022 reportedThat London allowed the possibility of supplying Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Kiev. At that time, the Minister of Defense of the United Kingdom Ben Wallace did not exclude the supply of air-launched cruise missiles of this type to Ukraine.
On the eve of the new year 2023, British Foreign Secretary James Hippie said that despite possible risks, London will continue to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces “with appropriate and balanced military means” to assist Ukraine. “Defend your sovereign territory.”
“Britain will analyze the support provided to Ukraine and does not exclude the possibility of providing weapons systems. longer range“, – said the Hippie.
So, in practice, all this somehow seems very, very dubious – six months ago they announced the possibility of supplying Storm Shadow missiles, and today they allegedly only report on their “intention to purchase and transfer” such weapons to Kiev. That is, it appeared after six months to think a lot about the possibility of delivery. There is no logic here. And in the West, statements by senior officials are not made to shake the air.
back in mid-April so calledThe United Kingdom provides the Armed Forces with air-launched cruise missiles of the Storm Shadow / SCALP type for attacks on objects of the Russian Armed Forces deployed in the deep rear.
So, most likely, Storm Shadow has long been in the arsenal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and such products are waiting in the wings. Again, the answer to the question is obvious – why was this missile not used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine before? Here, the actions of the Ukrainian side are quite understandable and look like this – to acquire weapons, build up the necessary stockpiles, use them suddenly and in large quantities, thereby achieving the necessary effect of operational significance.
The Storm Shadow / SCALP air-launched cruise missile is a British-French joint development and manufactured by the European consortium MBDA (Matra BAE Dynamics Alenia).
The French version of the missile is abbreviated SCALP EG, which translates as an autonomously guided multi-purpose, high-precision, long-range cruise missile. The product is equipped with a warhead weighing 450 kg, the firing range of Storm Shadow exceeds 250 km, the flight altitude is 30-40 m, the rocket speed is 0.8 M (approximately 1000 km/h).
Storm Shadow / SCALP’s firing range varies in various publications and reference books. In some sources it is given as over 250 km, in others – 300 nautical miles (550 km). It is also possible that the manufacturer is keeping the actual shooting range a secret. It is quite possible that it will significantly exceed 550 km. In this case, the Moscow region may also be in the zone of defeat.
The Ukrainian Air Force can use the Su-24M front-line bomber as a carrier aircraft for the Storm Shadow ALCM. Earlier, Poland promised to adapt such Ukrainian aircraft for combat use of Storm Shadow as soon as possible.
In addition, Eastern European NATO countries delivered to Ukraine several dozen front-line MiG-29 fighters, modernized for combat use of Western aviation weapons. So, apparently, Kiev will not have great difficulties with the carriers.
Guiding principle “Storm Shadow” – “hit and forget.” The use of Storm Shadow ALCMs in military conflicts has been documented since 2003. During the conflict, the rocket showed a very high efficiency.
Among the tactical and technical characteristics of Storm Shadow, special attention should be paid to the parameters of the warhead – almost half a ton of high-piercing explosive, which is twice the weight of the ATACMS Block IA tactical ballistic missile used by Ukraine. Until now, the West has asked unsuccessfully from the very beginning of the conflict.
Intended targets for Storm Shadow are command points, communication centers, ammunition depots, moored ships, infrastructure facilities (bridge crossings, railroad junctions, unloading stations). The Storm Shadow rocket costs 850,000 Euros.
The Crimean Bridge is, of course, the highest priority target the Storm Shadow cruise missiles will hit. There is every reason to believe that precisely on it, in the first hours of the upcoming offensive operation, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be able to deliver the first and strongest blow to completely destroy this bridge.
It should be noted that the Crimean Bridge is not only of strategic importance for the supply of materials to the Joint Troop Group of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (Forces), but also of the most important moral and psychological importance for the Russian Federation. The largest masses of the Russian population. For these reasons, it is number one in the list of objects to be destroyed by fire by the forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
As for the specific time of the attack on Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles (possibly in combination with Harpoon anti-ship missiles), even here you do not need to be an extraordinary prophet of our time to accurately determine both dates. and even the clock. Again, given the extraordinary importance of Victory Day for the Russian people, it is possible that this coup took place on the night of 8-9 May, and then the Ukrainian Armed Forces began a general offensive.
The author expresses his personal opinion, which may not coincide with the editors’ position.