France will send a batch of around ten SCALP air-launched cruise missiles to Ukraine, the shipment is currently being readied, French Minister of Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu stated in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche, RBC-Ukraine reports.
"To allow Ukraine to strike behind the front line, in recent days I have signed a new transfer of about 10 SCALP missiles, as promised by the French President to Volodymyr Zelenskyi," minister Lecornu said.
Read more: Ukrainian Warriors Showcase Footage of French Mistral Air Defense System in Action
Alongside the SCALPs, Paris will allocate Mistral air defense missile systems (range: 6 km) for small units and continue with the training of Ukrainian troops in France. There are currently around 2,000 Ukrainian personnel trained on French equipment.
The decision to provide SCALP, a joint British-French development, to Ukraine comes against the background of recent delays of their supply from the United Kingdom. The UK Royal Air Force operates the version called Storm Shadow, nearly identical to SCALP. Both are manufactured by MBDA and feature an operational range of 250 km (155 mi) in the modification for export.
For months, Ukraine's been urging allies to allow their weapons to strike deeper inside russia. France yielded and gave consent. The United Kingdom, however, did not.
Moreover, even long-range strikes within allowed borders are becoming beyond available: there has been a tangible delay in providing this weapon from the government of Keir Starmer who entered his position as UK Prime Minister in July 2024, according to Ukrainian officials talking privately to The Guardian.
"It isn’t happening. Starmer isn’t giving us long-range weapons. The situation is not the same as when Rishi Sunak was prime minister. The relationship has got worse," the anonymous figure in Volodymyr Zelenskyi's administration told the British journalists. The official added: "You would know if the UK had provided us with new Storm Shadow missiles because we would be using them to hit russian targets. We are not."
The last assumed use of Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles is dated October 5 this year, several more more were used earlier in March during the strike on the russian naval base in Sevastopol, occupied Crimea, which hit two russian landing ships, the Azov and Yamal, as well as a communications center. Since then, the number of Storm Shadow/SCALP attacks has dwindled.
Ukraine's President Zelenskyi met Keir Starmer this Thursday, November 7th, during a European political summit in Budapest. The meeting, however, has not yet resulted in any decisions on the long-range weapons announced on the part of the UK.
During the meeting with UK Prime Minister @Keir_Starmer, we discussed the implementation of the Victory Plan and support for our defense industry.An important element of the Victory Plan is providing Ukraine with long-range weaponry and granting permission to use it against… pic.twitter.com/BZubM9p9Xh— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 7, 2024
Earlier, Defense Express pointed out the effectiveness of the Storm Shadow/SCALP attacks in March 2024, foreshadowing a whole avalanche of potential consequences for the russian navy.
Also, we analyzed what's the American-provided data that is used in Storm Shadow and makes a major reason for the UK withholding its permission for deep strikes into russia; and took a look at how Ukrainian bombers ensure their safety when launching missile strikes using this weapon.
Read more: MBDA Took Only "A Few Weeks" to Adapt Storm Shadow Missiles for Ukrainian Su-24M Aircraft
