By the end of 2026, Ukraine is expected to receive a French license to produce both AASM Hammer precision-guided bomb kits and SCALP cruise missiles, known in British service as the Storm Shadow. The weapon has already proven highly effective against command posts, defense-industrial facilities, and other hardened targets.
Among its best-known successes are the strikes on the headquarters of russia's Black Sea Fleet, the Kremniy El microelectronics plant in Bryansk, and the VZPP semiconductor plant in Voronezh. At the same time, the limited number of available missiles has prevented Ukraine from conducting such attacks on a sustained basis. Domestic production could fundamentally change that.
Read more: Storm Shadow / SCALP-EG Missiles to Receive Mk2 Upgrade Following Combat Use in Ukraine
That naturally raises another question: how technologically demanding is the SCALP, what are its key components, and are there any production bottlenecks?
A good place to start is the fact that Storm Shadow/SCALP production resumed only in July 2025, fifteen years after the previous production run. MBDA also announced that the production line would be modernized and that the missile itself would become "more capable."
This almost certainly means the company is reorganizing and expanding its supply chain while updating parts of the missile to use modern production components and current-generation electronics. After all, the Storm Shadow/SCALP was originally designed in the 1990s. If significant upgrades have been introduced, they are most likely concentrated in the guidance, navigation, and flight-control systems.
During the terminal phase of flight, the missile relies on an imaging infrared (IIR) seeker produced by Leonardo UK (formerly Selex ES). Mid-course guidance is provided by a combination of satellite navigation and an inertial navigation system (INS) supplied by Thales.
The BROACH warhead is manufactured by BAE Systems in cooperation with Thales. It combines a precursor shaped charge with a 450-kg blast-fragmentation warhead. The tandem design allows the shaped charge to breach hardened structures before the main warhead penetrates the opening and detonates inside the target.
Power comes from the Safran TR60-30 turbojet engine. It generates 5.4 kN of thrust while weighing only 66 kg and measuring 86 cm in length, excluding the exhaust nozzle. The engine is also notable for its relatively low fuel consumption of less than 105 kg/(kN·h).
MBDA manufactures the missile's airframe, wings, control surfaces, and actuators, and performs final assembly. The company has not disclosed either the total number of suppliers or the duration of the production cycle. Nevertheless, manufacturing a new batch of cruise missiles in this class typically requires around two years from contract award to delivery.
Overall, the Storm Shadow/SCALP is an exceptionally sophisticated cruise missile whose production license has never before been transferred to another country. If Ukraine receives the promised license, it will become the first nation ever authorized to manufacture the missile outside its original producer.
Read more: France Trials Rafale Combat Performance with SCALP Missiles Amid russian Threats
