France gears up to supply more high-precision SCALP-EG cruise missiles to Ukraine
France and the United Kingdom are the two European countries openly supporting Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles. French President Emmanuel Macron made the announcement about the weapons transfer to Ukraine at the NATO summit in Vilnius.
9:23 AM EST, January 9, 2024
Ukraine to receive more SCALP-EG missiles
So far, Kyiv has received 50 such missiles. Le Figaro journalists have speculated that the next batch could be more significant, encompassing up to 85 SCALP-EG units. This decision by French authorities will likely align with their previous promises to increase support in the fight against Russian aggression.
The Storm Shadow missiles provided by the United Kingdom and the SCALP-EG have proven invaluable to Ukraine. They are used to attack critical Russian structures and systems, even hundreds of miles beyond the front line. Thanks to these missiles, strategic targets like the Chonhar Bridge and the Sevastopol shipyard have been destroyed. Besides their significant impact, these missiles are applauded for their high precision and ability to evade even the latest Russian air defense systems, such as the Pantsir-S1.
“The missiles surprised the occupiers and have greatly reinforced our forces. Ukrainian soldiers have been able to effectively use these rockets, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy," stated representatives of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense at the end of last year.
The SCALP-EG missiles, produced by the European defense group MBDA, can strike targets at a distance of up to 310 miles. However, certain export restrictions limit the range of some versions to approximately 186 miles. Each missile measures over 16.4 feet and weighs about 2,866 lbs, with around 992 lbs allocated for the BROACH (Bomb Royal Ordnance Augmented Charge) warhead. An advanced combination of inertial and satellite navigation systems is also incorporated. The maximum speed of the SCALP-EG missile is roughly 0.9 Mach (over 621 mph).
The SCALP-EG cruise missiles are transported by aircraft. The Ukrainians have adapted their Su-24M frontline bombers for this purpose.
Beyond relying on further shipments from France and the United Kingdom, Kyiv also hopes for Germany's involvement, given that Germany has similar Taurus missiles. Discussions about the potential deployment of these missiles at the front line have been ongoing for several months. The current government's hesitation in making a final decision was recently criticized by former German President Joachim Gauck.
