How Western Missiles Have Fared in Ukraine
08:00 02.09.2023 (Updated: 13:39 04.09.2023)
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Major NATO countries - France, United Kingdom (UK) and Germany have supplied military equipment worth billions of dollars to Ukraine, including long-range missiles.
In a bid to alter the course of Ukraine's so-called counteroffensive against Russian forces, which has failed, Germany, France, and Britain have stepped up their supplies of deep-strike or long-range missiles.
In recent weeks, the three European states have publicly voiced their support for the Ukrainian military having these projectiles in their ammunition depots.
In recent weeks, the three European states have publicly voiced their support for the Ukrainian military having these projectiles in their ammunition depots.
French President Emmanuel Macron revealed that Paris has delivered an undisclosed number of SCALP missiles to enhance the deep strike capability of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's forces.
Among other Western missiles to have reached or are scheduled to arrive in Ukraine are Germany's Taurus and the UK's Storm Shadow (the British name for SCALP) rockets.
In this light, Sputnik India examines features of the Western missiles in operation in the Ukraine conflict and how they have fared against Russian air defenses.
Among other Western missiles to have reached or are scheduled to arrive in Ukraine are Germany's Taurus and the UK's Storm Shadow (the British name for SCALP) rockets.
In this light, Sputnik India examines features of the Western missiles in operation in the Ukraine conflict and how they have fared against Russian air defenses.
SCALP/Storm Shadow Missiles
Manufactured by European defense behemoth MBDA, the SCALP or Storm Shadow missiles are long-range projectiles, having the ability to strike enemy targets as far as 250 kilometers.
Inducted in Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) and the French Air and Space Force (AAE) in 2003, the SCALP/Storm Shadows carry a 1,300kg payload of a conventional warhead.
As per MBDA, the missile is designed to undertake "pre-planned attacks against high-value fixed or stationary targets".
Before being deployed in Ukraine in May 2023, these missiles were extensively used by the RAF and the French Air Force in military operations in Libya, Iraq and the Gulf.
The Storm Shadow cruise missile is on display during the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, north of Paris, France, Monday, June 19, 2023. France will deliver deep-strike missiles to Ukraine as part of increased efforts to help with the Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian forces, President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday July 11, 2023 at the NATO summit in Vilnius. France has been weighing whether to send Scalp missiles, the equivalent of the British Storm Shadow missiles, to Ukraine.
© AP Photo / Lewis Joly
Performance in Ukraine Conflict
Contrary to French and British claims about the potency of the SCALP/Storm shadow missiles, the British and French supplied projectiles have had a poor track record in operations against Russian forces.
The Storm Shadow was notoriously used to damage the Chonhar Bridge, which connects the Crimean peninsula with Russia's Kherson region. After that, Russia enhanced its efforts to neutralize the Storm Shadow/SCALP rockets.
On May 30, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu stated that a total of 29 Storm Shadow missiles were destroyed by Russian defense personnel during the month.
Subsequently, these missiles became one of the main targets of Russia's air defense network, with Moscow releasing pictures of a downed Storm Shadow on almost a daily basis.
In a major attack that was repelled in July, acting Kherson Region Governor Vladimir Saldo mentioned that 12 Storm Shadow missiles were taken down after the Ukrainians attempted to dismantle a crucial railway link between Kherson and Crimea.
Though Russia hasn't specified the exact weapons platform it has employed to intercept and destroy these missiles, independent military watchers in India and elsewhere believe that S-400, widely regarded as the most modern air defense system in the world, has been at the forefront of taming the British-French made projectiles.
Taurus Missiles
Last month, reports in the German media said that Kiev was pushing Berlin to send a consignment of its Taurus missiles to the East European country.
Having a range of 300 miles, the Taurus KEPD 350E is a cruise missile that according to its manufacturer MBDA is built to conduct "precision strikes against hardened and high-value point and area targets".
These modular stand-off precision munitions are at present in the inventory of German and Spanish forces - while the Taurus rockets are fitted onto Tornado IDS fighter aircraft of the German Air Force, in Spain they have been deployed on the Spanish EF-18 combat jets.
Furthermore, plans regarding their integration onto Eurofighter Typhoons of both countries were ongoing. Additionally, the Taurus missiles will soon be part of the South Korean Air Force after being incorporated onto their F-15K combat planes.
The publications pointed out that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been holding talks with his military aides over their potential supply to Ukraine as Berlin is concerned about Ukraine using these missiles for launching attacks deep inside Russian territory.
That is perhaps why the German government has asked MBDA to make certain modifications before the Taurus missiles are delivered to Kiev.
Taurus Cruise Missile
© AFP 2023 Jung Yeon-Je
Specifics of Taurus Missiles
Due to its low elevation of flying which stands at just 35 meters above sea level, the Taurus rockets are hard to intercept, with the German publications claiming that it cannot be detected by enemy radar due to this very reason.
Due to being a lightweight weapon weighing 1.4 kilograms, the Taurus can attain a top speed of 727 miles per hour and strike a target within a 500-kilometer range.
