After German Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared that all limitations on Ukraine’s ability to strike targets inside russia have been lifted, not only by Germany, but also by the UK, France, and the United States, attention has shifted to the actual range of Western-supplied weapons.
It's important to note that the effective range of cruise missiles against russian targets depends not only on their maximum flight distance but also on access to highly detailed digital maps required for navigation and targeting.
Read more: How Many Storm Shadow / SCALP Missiles the UK, France, and Others Have
Moreover, cruise missiles do not fly in straight lines — they follow complex, pre-programmed routes to bypass enemy air defenses. So even though a Storm Shadow or SCALP missile has a nominal range of 560 km, this figure must be adjusted. Launch positions may be 80–90 km behind the front line, and the missile’s zigzag flight path further reduces its effective strike depth.
In this context, it's worth recalling the officially stated range of Germany's Taurus missile — the system Chancellor Merz promised to supply to Ukraine. Its range is listed as "over 500 km," placing it in roughly the same class as Storm Shadow/SCALP, particularly when considering its performance in the terminal flight phase.
However, neither Storm Shadow/SCALP nor Taurus holds the title of Europe’s longest-range cruise missile. That distinction belongs to France’s MdCN (Missile de Croisière Naval), also known as SCALP Naval. This missile is not only in serial production but is already operational in France’s arsenal.
The MdCN is a naval cruise missile derived from the SCALP platform. It has an officially declared range of over 1,000–1,400 km, and carries a warhead weighing approximately 300 kg. This kind of range clearly places it in the category of truly long-range precision strike weapons.
As its name implies, the MdCN is a naval weapon, launched vertically from A70 Sylver universal launch cells, each about 7 meters tall.
At present, there is no publicly available information suggesting that France intends to transfer MdCN missiles to Ukraine. Moreover, such a transfer would require the development of a ground-based launch system – potentially a containerized solution similar to the Mk 70 used for Tomahawk missiles.
In any case, such efforts would align with Europe’s broader initiative to develop a Land Cruise Missile under the ELSA (European Long-range Strike Approach) program. That project, however, is currently facing delays. Nevertheless, test benches and other provisional solutions are already in place.
Should serious discussions eventually arise around transferring MdCN or a future Land Cruise Missile to Ukraine, this would open the door to much deeper strike capabilities than are currently available. That said, the number of MdCN missiles is reportedly limited. According to various sources, France has only about 200 in its inventory.
Still, if European nations have now formally lifted restrictions on long-range strikes and acknowledged the urgent need to expand their arsenals of such weapons, the idea of supplying Ukraine with MdCN missiles, while ramping up production, should at the very least be on the table.
Read more: Rheinmetall CEO Says Taurus Won't Turn the Tides of War, Offers Ukraine a Surge in Shell Production
