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Lexicon · Europe

Storm Shadow

The British-French Storm Shadow / SCALP-EG is a stealthy, air-launched cruise missile designed to destroy hardened targets from stand-off range, and the weapon that gave Ukraine its first long-range deep-strike capability.

Storm Shadow
FIG.01 · Europe Image - storm-shadow. Photo by Ank Kumar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The British-French Storm Shadow / SCALP-EG is a stealthy, air-launched cruise missile designed to destroy hardened targets from stand-off range, and the weapon that gave Ukraine its first long-range deep-strike capability.

Overview

Storm Shadow (designated SCALP-EG in French service) is a long-range, air-launched cruise missile developed by MBDA. It combines a low-observable airframe, a sophisticated multi-sensor guidance suite, and a tandem BROACH warhead to penetrate and destroy high-value fixed targets such as command bunkers, bridges, and hardened aircraft shelters. Originally fielded by the UK and France, it has been exported to a number of air forces and, since 2023, has become the principal Western-supplied deep-strike weapon in Ukraine.

πŸ”’ The full Storm Shadow file is for BattlePolicy Pro members. Below the line: development history, design and capabilities, variants, the combat record, advantages and limitations, comparable systems, outlook, the full specifications table, our sourcing, and the analyst assessment β€” procurement, suppliers and the BattlePolicy verdict. Unlock the full file with BattlePolicy Pro β†’

Below this point

  • Development
  • Design & capabilities
  • Variants
  • Combat record / operational use
  • Advantages
  • Drawbacks / limitations
  • Counterparts
  • Outlook
  • Key specifications
  • Sources
  • Analyst Section
  • Procurement & contracts
  • Suppliers & related companies
  • Comparable systems β€” analyst view
  • Analyst note
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