Storm Shadow attacks Russia

The first launching of the Anglo-French Storm Shadow cruise missile against targets inside Russia has brought Britain into a more direct confrontation with Moscow. The reports of Storm Shadow missiles being fired against hardened military sites in the Kursk region of western Russia follow the attacks yesterday by Ukraine, using the American ATACMS ballistic missile to hit a Russian weapons depot in the Bryansk province, 70 miles from the border and 235 miles southwest of Moscow. The Kyiv government wasted no time in launching the long-range ATACMS missiles over the border into Russia once President Biden had given his approval, reversing his policy after months of pleading by President Zelensky. Sir Keir Starmer has been careful to avoid confirming whether he, too, had given Zelensky permission to use Storm Shadow in attacks in Russia. But the evidence of long-range strikes by Ukrainian aircraft indicates that the UK government has followed the switch in policy adopted by Washington. ATACMS (army tactical missile system) and Storm Shadow (the French version is called Scalp) are two of the most deadly and effective weapons supplied by the US-led 50-nation coalition which has been arming and supporting the Kyiv government since the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022. However, it has taken 1,000 days for the US and UK to giver Zelensky authority to use the weapons in attacks inside Russia. *Will Storm Shadow make a difference? The 155-mile-range cruise missile has been used by Ukraine in numerous attacks against Russian targets in Crimea and in eastern provinces since the weapon was first delivered in 2023, but always on short-range missions. Storm Shadow packs a powerful explosive punch, with a 990lb warhead, designed specifically to hit and penetrate hardened military sites, such as ammunition depots, airbase storage facilities, radar installations and naval ports. In Ukraine, the cruise missile has been carried by the Soviet aircraft, Sukhoi Su-24. but prior to its operational use by the Ukrainian air force, it was supplied to the RAF for Tornado GR4s and Eurofighter Typhoons . It was first launched from a Typhoon on operations against the Islamic state (Isis) in Syria in March, 2021. But it was fired from a Tornado GR4 as far back as 2003 in Operation Telic in the Iraq war. Storm Shadow is equipped with “fire-and-forget” technology, with autonomous guidance. It was designed to hit targets with enhanced accuracy, with all the details of the target fed into a computer. As it’s a cruise missile, as opposed to a ballistic missile, it is subsonic but can creep up on the target at low level, only rising to a higher altitude in the final part of the journey to give maximum penetration power as it plunges downwards close to the speed of sound. It also has stealth technology built in, making it difficult for enemy radars to detect its approach. Storm Shadow has the potential to make a difference on the battlefield because of its accuracy and penetration capabilities. However, the missile is in demand among allies, and Ukraine has been given only limited supplies. This could hamper Kyiv’s hopes of causing significant and long-lasting damage to key military facilities inside Russia. Because the missile is air-launched, it also means that the Ukrainian pilots will have to adopt skilled manoeuvre tactics to evade Russian air-defence systems. *How will Russia react to ATACMS and now Storm Shadow? The most important development is that both the US and the UK have given authority for Kyiv to use these two weapon systems to their maximum range. This poses a challenge to Russian air defence systems. Previously, Russia’s main concern within its s own borders was to look out for and try to shoot down Ukraine’s long-range drones which have become increasingly more capable but without ever causing significant damage. Now Russia is facing two advanced western weapons which can fly over the border and reach targets spread out over a huge area. It has been estimated there could be around 245 potential military targets within reach of ATACMS and Storm Shadow. Russia has advanced and effective air-defence systems but they can’t be everywhere. Storm Shadow, with its ability to fly along a low-terrain path, is regarded as a highly survivable weapon system. But on July 9 last year, a Storm Shadow missile was shot down by Russian air defences. However, the inaugural use of both ATACMS and Storm Shadow inside Russia has demonstrated to Moscow that Ukraine’s western allies remain determined to supply Kyiv with the systems necessary to defend the country even if it meant lifting the longstanding ban on their use against Russia itself. The Kyiv government knows that it has two months in which to make maximum use of these long-range weapons before the arrival of Donald Trump in the White House in January when the whole issue of continued backing of Ukraine will come under the microscope. Russia, of course, is also fully aware of the Washington timetable and will no doubt retaliate with strikes against Ukraine which will ensure the grimmest of winters for the Ukrainian people.