Ukraine is apparently getting a powerful cruise missile from Great Britain for its counteroffensive. This must be shot down by fighter jets. An indication?
Munich/London/Kyiv - The resistance in the Ukraine war is turning into an offensive: Ukrainian forces are attacking against the Russian occupiers near Bakhmut in the Donbass. As the commander of the ground troops announced on Wednesday (10 May) via Telegram, the invading army of Moscow ruler Vladimir Putin was pushed back by up to two kilometres in places near the city, which has been heavily contested for months.
Storm Shadow: Britain apparently supplies Ukraine with cruise missiles for offensive
For the Ukrainian counteroffensive, which, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky, has not even begun yet, Kyiv has now apparently received another modern weapon from the West. Specifically, several cruise missiles of the "Storm Shadow" type were delivered to Ukraine from the UK. This is reported by CNN, among others.
The cruise missile has a rangeof more than 250 kilometers or 155 miles, according to the U.S. news channel. Thus, for example, fired in the northeastern Kharkiv region or in the Donbass, the cruise missile could theoretically reach mainland Russia. Noteworthy: The "Storm Shadow" is designed for NATO fighter jets such as Tornadoes or the F-35. An indication that modern fighter jets will soon be delivered from the West, as requested by the Ukrainian government from the transatlantic defense alliance?
NATO member Poland recently delivered four MiG-29 fighter jets to its eastern neighbor and announced the provision of four more aircraft of the same type. Slovakia also announced that it would supply Kiev with 13 MiG-29s. It is unclear whether the "Storm Shadow" can also be attached to this Soviet-designed fighter aircraft with modifications.
Mounted on NATO fighter jets: A Tornado of the Italian Air Force with a "Storm Shadow". The cruise missile is mounted on the fuselage of the aircraft. (Symbolic photo) © IMAGO / StockTrek Images
Storm Shadow missiles: hint for delivery of modern Western fighter jets to Ukraine?
In early May, the Netherlands announced that it was consulting with Denmark and Great Britain on the supply of fighter jets to Ukraine. The possible delivery of requested F-16 fighter jets is also "not taboo," Prime Minister Mark Rutte said at a joint press conference in The Hague with Zelensky and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. According to the Reuters news agency, the Czech Republic is also planning to provide the Ukrainian Air Force with several of its L-159 ground attack aircraft to combat moving ground targets such as tanks.
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"Britain has stated that it will supply Ukraine with long-range weapons, including now a number of Stormshadow missiles," an unnamed Western official said, according to CNN: "The British government has made it clear that this is only a response to Russia's targeted attacks on civilian national infrastructure and is a proportionate response."
Storm Shadow for Ukraine: A cruise missile probably costs more than a million euros
The "Storm Shadow" was jointly developed by Great Britain and France from 1997 and entered service in 2002 as a long-range cruise missile with stealth capabilities. A single marching body is said to cost more than one million euros.
It is now expected, the report says, that British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace will officially announce to the House of Commons that the United Kingdom is sending Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine. The missile was "a real game changer because of the range," a senior U.S. military official told CNN. With the cruise missile, Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014 in violation of international law, would also be within reach. (pm)