Britain delivered long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine ahead of the expected counterattack

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CNN –

The United Kingdom has delivered several “Storm Shadow” cruise missiles to Ukraine, giving the nation a new long-range strike capability ahead of an upcoming counterattack against Russian forces, several senior Western officials told CNN.

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, who described the donation as “Ukraine’s best chance to defend itself against Russia’s continued brutality,” confirmed the deal on Thursday after CNN exclusively reported the deal.

Storm Shadow is a long-range cruise missile with stealth capabilities, jointly developed by the United Kingdom and France, and is typically air-launched. With a firing range of over 250 km, or 155 miles, it falls just short of the 185-mile range capability of the US-made Army’s Surface-to-Surface Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, that Ukraine has long claimed to order.

Crucially, Storm Shadow has the range to strike deep into Russian-controlled territory in eastern Ukraine. A Western official told CNN that the UK had received assurances from the Ukrainian government that these missiles would only be used within Ukrainian sovereign territory and not inside Russia. British officials issued repeated public statements identifying Crimea as a sovereign Ukrainian territory, describing it as “illegally annexed”.

A senior US military official told CNN that the missile is a “real game-changer from a range perspective” and gives Kiev the capability it has been asking for since the start of the war. As reported by CNN, Ukraine’s current maximum range on weapons supplied by the United States is about 49 miles.

The deployment of the missiles comes as Ukrainian forces prepare to launch a counter-offensive aimed at retaking Kremlin-held territory in the eastern and southern parts of the country.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country still needed “more time” before it launched a counterattack, in order to allow some of the promised Western military aid to reach the country.

“with [what we have] Zelensky told European public broadcasters in an interview published Thursday. “But we are losing a lot of people. I think this is unacceptable.”

“So we need to wait. We still need more time.” Among the supplies Ukraine is still waiting for are armored vehicles — including tanks — that “arrive in batches,” Zelensky said.

This is not the first time that Britain has gone further than the United States in the arms it was willing to send to Ukraine. It was the first ally to announce it was sending modern Western tanks to Ukraine, in January pledging 14 Challenge 2 tanks before the US announced it would contribute M-1 Abrams tanks soon after.

A CNN reporter gets a first-hand look at Ukrainians training on donated tanks

Earlier this year, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak indicated that Britain was considering sending long-range weapons.

“We must help Ukraine protect its cities from Russian bombs and Iranian drones, and that is why the UK will be the first country to supply long-range weapons to Ukraine,” Sunak said at the Munich Security Conference on February 18.

And earlier this month, the British government issued a purchase notice through the International Fund for Ukraine. The notice said the UK was calling for expressions of interest to purchase “long-range strike” missiles or missiles by May 4, and potential suppliers would be contacted a month later. The notification stated “Missiles or missiles with a range of 100 to 300 km. Land, sea or air launch. Payload from 20 to 490 kg.”

US officials have repeatedly emphasized that they will continue to support Ukraine “as long as it takes,” and while tens of billions of dollars worth of equipment have been provided, the beleaguered country has continued to ask for more to defeat the Russian military, including long-range missiles like the ATACMS.

However, the United States has been careful over the past year in providing Ukraine with weapons that could help it strike inside Russian territory. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl told reporters in August that the US assessment is that Ukraine “does not currently require ATACMS to serve targets directly related to the current combat.”

According to MBDA Missile Systems, the European company that makes the missile, the Storm Shadow is a “deep strike weapon” capable of “operation day and night in all weather conditions,” and features an advanced navigation system to ensure accuracy.

The MBDA website states, “After firing, the weapon descends into the terrain at hug height to avoid detection.” “When approaching a target, the onboard infrared seeker matches the image of the target with the stored image to ensure accurate hit and minimize collateral damage.”

This story has been updated with additional details.

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