StormShadow. Specifications. A photo.

2022-12-15

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The Storm Shadow is a British long-range tactical cruise missile developed by MBDA Missile Systems. The missile is designed for high-precision destruction of various kinds of targets when flying at ultra-low altitudes.

History of the development of the Storm Shadow rocket

Development of the long-range Storm Shadow tactical multipurpose cruise missile began in 1995. The missile was supposed to provide an opportunity for high-speed destruction of ground and sea targets at distances up to 250 kilometers. The key feature of the cruise missile was to be its low radar visibility, for which both the special design of the missile body and its flight at low altitudes are used.

The first successful test firing of the Storm Shadow rocket took place in 2000. The missile was able to successfully hit a target at a distance of up to 300 kilometers, remaining completely invisible to short-range, medium-range and long-range air defense systems. During the tests, the rocket approached the target at a height of only 30 meters and successfully hit it with a deviation of less than half a meter.

The Storm Shadow tactical cruise missile entered service in 2002 and saw its first combat use in 2003 during the Iraq War.

Storm Shadow rocket design

Due to the special design profile of the Storm Shadow tactical cruise missile, it is able to remain outside the detection zone of air defense systems for a long time. This is also achieved by flying at an altitude of only 30-40 meters above ground level, which was achieved thanks to the GPS guidance system and altimeter used in the rocket.

The rocket has a subsonic turbojet engine, which allows the rocket to reach speeds of the order of 1000 km / h.

Due to the use of a quasi-ballistic trajectory during the flight, the missile becomes a difficult target to intercept.

A missile can use several warheads, depending on the type of target being hit. In the case of the defeat of ground targets, the sub-combat unit "shoots through" the space in front of the missile, after which the main warhead flies into the object, thereby ensuring maximum damage.

During the flight, the missile control system compares the parameters of the target with the identifiers embedded in it, and if the parameters match, it defeats. If the ultimate goal differs from the one laid down in the control unit, the mechanism of self-destruction of the rocket is launched.

Storm Shadow Rocket Mods

As of December 2022, the Storm Shadow missile comes in three different versions.

Storm Shadow - the basic version of the rocket used by the British military.
SCALP - the basic version of a cruise tactical missile used by the French military. Of the advantages over the Storm Shadow version, the target engagement range increased to 500 kilometers stands out.
SCALP Naval - a modified naval version of a tactical cruise missile designed to hit targets from surface and underwater carriers. The maximum range for hitting targets is 1000 kilometers, while the missile is capable of developing near-hypersonic speed;
Black Shaheen - An export version of a cruise missile with a shorter range, but intended for use on light fighters.

Combat use of Storm Shadow

Cruise tactical missiles Storm Shadow and SCALP were used in combat operations in Iraq. Most of the targets hit were successfully hit. Among other things, the SCALP missile was used in 2018 to strike Damascus (Syria), where none of the 12 missiles launched were shot down by Syrian air defense systems.

In 2022, the United Kingdom and France began to consider the possibility of transferring Storm Shadow and SCALP tactical missiles to Ukraine for installation on Su-24M front-line bombers modernized by Poland.

As of December 2022, the Storm Shadow, SCALP and Black Shaheen cruise missiles are in service with six countries: