Key Points and Summary – The Storm Shadow cruise missile, a weapon that has proven highly effective in Ukrainian hands against high-value Russian targets, is at the center of a renewed defense pact between the UK and France.
-The two nations have announced a new procurement of the missiles to replenish stocks depleted by aid to Ukraine.
-Under a new “industrial entente,” they will also jointly develop a more lethal, next-generation deep-strike missile set to enter service after 2030.
-This revitalized cooperation extends to other advanced weapons and even nuclear deterrence, signaling a tighter Anglo-French military alliance.
A New Storm Shadow Missile Is in the Works
LONDON, UK – France and the United Kingdom will procure another large tranche of Storm Shadow cruise missiles, according to a July 9 announcement.
At the same time, the French-British MBDA industrial group is beginning an advanced design project to develop a replacement for the Storm Shadow. All of this is occurring under the auspices of what is being called a new “entente industrielle.”
The commitment to a new buy of the missiles aims to replenish the two countries’ stocks after shipments to Ukraine expended a large amount of their reserves. The project also aims to use defense-industrial production to boost the two nations’ economies.
The move comes at a time when British, French, and German defense-planning processes are being geared toward “proactive positioning in strengthening NATO’s eastern flank” in the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine.
French defense officials stated that the last order for this weapon was issued 15 years ago. Unofficial assessments have put Italy’s, Britain’s, and France’s Storm Shadow stocks as low as in the higher hundreds, and no higher than a few thousand. These numbers are now presumed to be significantly reduced after supplying Ukraine.
The project for a new replacement missile was revealed in a British government press release on July 9, stating that the entente industrielle aims to deepen industrial cooperation, continuing the long-standing “entente cordiale” that has come to define relations between France and the UK.
Operational Use in Ukraine
The centerpiece in this arrangement is the Storm Shadow missiles, which are known as “SCALP” in France. These air-launched cruise missiles were first developed in 1994 through the cooperation of a consortium of companies – Matra, the Dynamics division of BAE, and Aerospatiale – now known as MBDA.
The missile has been used extensively by the combat aircraft of both nations and has been very successful in Ukraine, where the munitions were integrated into the Sukhoi Su-24 fighter-bomber. The United Kingdom first announced in May 2023 that it would provide Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine. Since then, it has been used primarily to target Russian military assets in occupied Ukrainian territories.
On May 13, 2023, Storm Shadow missiles were used to attack industrial sites in the Luhansk region of occupied Eastern Ukraine. This was one of the first confirmed firings of a Storm Shadow as part of Ukraine’s counteroffensive efforts.
The next month, Storm Shadows were used to attack a Russian command post in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The strike resulted in the death of Maj. Gen. Sergey Goryachev, the chief of staff of Russia’s 35th Combined Arms Army.
Later in June, Storm Shadow missiles hit the Chonhar Road bridge, which connects Crimea with Kherson Oblast. The attack disrupted Russian logistics and transportation. In July, Storm Shadows struck the Chonhar Strait railway bridge.
In September that year, Storm Shadow missiles were used in two high-profile attacks. On Sept. 13, the missiles targeted the Sevastopol port in Crimea, damaging the Rostov na Donu submarine and the Ropucha-class landing ship Minsk. On Sept. 22, Storm Shadow missiles struck the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol. This attack killed at least 34 officers, including the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, and wounded at least 100 others.
Devil in the Details
Although additional missiles are being acquired, the UK Ministry of Defence statement did not provide details regarding how many units the two nations will purchase.
In the coming years, Storm Shadow will be replaced by “a new, more lethal next-generation deep strike capability as part of the joint initiative,” the UK government press release detailed.
A spokesperson for the Ministry stated that the two countries are now transitioning from the concept-definition phase to the developmental phase of the new missile’s design.
“This will see a finalization of the design, production of prototypes, and preparation for manufacturing” of this new missile, the spokesperson said, adding that “deliveries will commence from 2031.”
While there is no designation yet for the future missile, it is widely assumed to be related to the previously announced Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon program, which is planned to introduce a dual-use weapon.
The two countries also plan to cooperate to develop “new advanced weapons” starting with microwave weapons and electronic warfare equipment, the UK statement reads. The Anglo-French agreement is part of a reinvigoration of the wider Lancaster House agreement, first signed between the two nations in 2010.
During a visit to the UK, French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to greater nuclear cooperation between the two nations. Macron signed up to a first-of-its-kind agreement between the two nuclear powers, the release stated.
“Any adversary threatening the vital interests of Britain or France could be confronted by the strength of the nuclear forces of both nations,” according to the UK government.
About the Author: Reuben F. Johnson
Reuben F. Johnson has thirty-six years of experience analyzing and reporting on foreign weapons systems, defense technologies, and international arms export policy. Johnson is the Director of Research at the Casimir Pulaski Foundation. He is also a survivor of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He worked for years in the American defense industry as a foreign technology analyst and later as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Defense, the Departments of the Navy and Air Force, and the governments of the United Kingdom and Australia. In 2022-2023, he won two awards in a row for his defense reporting. He holds a bachelor’s degree from DePauw University and a master’s degree from Miami University in Ohio, specializing in Soviet and Russian studies. He lives in Warsaw.
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