Newsweek reports that the long-range missiles provided to Ukraine’s armed forces will present difficult new challenges for Russia’s defences.
She referred to what British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said, yesterday, Thursday, to UK lawmakers that British long-range Storm Shadow missiles are “now entering or have already entered the country.” But he did not confirm the number that will be sent to Ukraine.
The American magazine indicated that Ukraine had repeatedly requested long-range striking capabilities, but its Western supporters were reluctant to provide weapons that could be considered escalatory or provide Ukraine with the ability to strike inside Russian territory. However, Ukraine insisted it would not use it to attack targets within Russia’s borders.
According to what military expert David Hambling told the magazine, the missiles have a much better chance of hitting specific targets compared to military marches, and they will “undoubtedly be intended for very high-value targets.”
According to the European manufacturer MBDA, the range of air-launched Storm Shadow missiles is more than 155 miles. The company said it is designed to “meet the challenging requirements of pre-planned attacks against high-value, stationary or static targets,” even in extreme conditions.
-The magazine pointed out that the expected range of the Storm Shadow missiles exceeds the weapons systems that the United States provided to Ukraine, including long-range versions of guidance systems. (Joint Direct Attack Munitions) or missiles provided by Washington for highly mobile artillery missile systems “HIMARS.
-However, there is some doubt about the true range of these missiles, based on the model and various reports, according to what the magazine quoted David Jordan, co-director of the Freeman Air and Space Institute at Kings College London, yesterday, Thursday.
But he said that “the benefit of the Storm Shadow missiles to the Ukrainians will be great because it gives them the ability, especially in terms of range, that they did not have before.” He added that they would be able to hit hardened targets, including underground command bunkers, logistics centers and airports, with high accuracy. It would also provide the ability to strike the Kerch Bridge, which connects mainland Russia to Moscow’s annexed Crimea.
Experts say that the range of these missiles also constitutes a new “headache” for Russian air defense systems in the coming weeks and months.
Hambling said the missile was “virtually non-jammable” and was “unlikely to be intercepted by Russian air defense”. Russia will either have to move resources, such as ammunition stockpiles, out of range of these new weapons, or see “hundreds of tons of precious artillery ammunition evaporate in a series of huge fireballs”.
