What is the Storm Shadow cruise missile that Ukraine is banned from using inside Russia?

Will Ukraine be allowed to fire Storm Shadow cruise missiles at Russia?

Ukraine is awaiting the answer from the US and UK.

The use of these weapons could allow Ukraine to strike deep within the heart of its neighbour.

Ukraine has been asking to be allowed to do so for weeks.

But what’s the big deal about this missile? Could it be a game-changer?

Let’s take a closer look:

What do we know about the missile?

The Storm Shadow cruise missile is an air-launched projectile.

As per Al Jazeera, it is manufactured by MBDA Missile Systems.

This firm was launched in 2001 as a joint venture between the biggest missile companies in the United Kingdom, France and Italy.

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The missile weighs 1,300 kilos and is armed with conventional explosives.

It is usually fired from the UK’s Eurofighter Typhoon or France’s Rafale.

In France, it is known as the SCALP missile.

It has a range of 250 kilometres – the longest-range weapon in the hands of Kyiv yet and three times longer than any other missile.

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As pe_r The Independent_, the missile is driven by a turbo-jet engine.

It is around five metres long and has a wingspan of three metres.

As per BBC, each missile costs around $1 million.

The Storm Shadow after being fired goes nearly as fast as the speed of sound and gets close to the ground.

It gets close to the ground before dropping even further and exploding.

As per Al Jazeera, it makes use of inertial navigation, GPS and terrain referencing to fly low – which stops it from being seen.

MBDA said the missile also makes use of an infrared camera to match up the target with a stored picture.

This is done “to ensure a precision strike and minimal collateral damage.”

As per The Independent, the missile, when it gets close to the target, then raises itself to a higher altitude.

It pierces the target on impact. Then, a delayed fuse triggers the main warhead.

The Storm Shadow is thought to be perfect for destroying reinforced bunkers and ammunition depots – which Russia has constructed in its war against Ukraine.

MBDA said on its website says the SCALP is “designed to meet the demanding requirements of preplanned attacks against high-value fixed or stationary targets such as hardened bunkers and key infrastructure.”

The missile has already been deployed in Iraq, Libya and Syria, as per Al Jazeera.

It was first delivered to Ukraine in May.

However, Ukraine has been directed by the West to keep its use limited to only within its territory and land occupied by the Russians.

This is because some of Kyiv’s allies are afraid that an airstrike inside Russian territory could lead to the West being drawn into direct conflict with Russia.

The British government has said it’s up to Ukraine how to use missiles supplied by the UK, as long as international law is upheld.

The United States, Ukraine’s biggest military backer, recently shifted its position, with the Pentagon saying that Ukraine could use longer-range missiles provided by the US to strike targets inside Russia if it is acting in self-defense.

Since the beginning of Russia’s 2022 invasion, the US had maintained a policy of not allowing Ukraine to use the weapons it provided to hit targets inside Russia for fear of further escalation.

Could it be a game-changer?

Perhaps not, but it could make life more difficult for the Russians.

According to BBC, the missile has already been used to hit Russia’s Black Sea naval headquarters at Sevastopol.

Military analyst Justin Crump, a former British officer, told the outlet that the weapon has already performed extremely well for Ukraine.

“It’s no surprise that Kyiv has lobbied for its use inside Russia, particularly to target airfields being used to mount the glide bomb attacks that have recently hindered Ukrainian front-line efforts,” Crump said.

Ivan Klyszcz, a researcher at the Estonia-based International Centre for Defence and Security told Al Jazeera this missile is “critical for Ukraine’s forces to disrupt Russian logistics and command and control.”

SCALP attacks could help “with Ukraine’s current approach to operations … namely, to advance slowly so as to protect its forces and reduce its own casualties as much as possible,” Klyszcz added.

Little wonder than that Ukraine has been repeatedly asking for it to be allowed to use the weapons on Russian soil.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in July said “long-range capability” to destroy sites where Russian weapons are concentrated is key to Ukraine’s defence.

“I ask you to show your leadership” in lifting restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Western weapons, Zelenskyy told Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

“We need a decision about long-distance weapons, long range, to use it,” Zelenskyy told BBC. “We need it very much. They’re targeting our hospitals, schools. We just want to answer exactly to the point where from they target us.”

With inputs from agencies