France plans to transfer to Ukraine overdue Scalp missiles: what is known

The French army has two types of scalp-EG missiles on storage. One of them is suitable for use, and the other is already unsuitable or was "cannibalized" for spare parts. In January, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the supply of SCalp missiles to Ukraine. Now it has become known what ammunition is supplied to Kiev. About it reports RFI. France has set for itself one of the priority of supplying Ukraine SCalp-EG.

According to the publication, supply is preserved by the French of their own strategic stocks. In January, Macron announced the supply of 40 SCalp missiles-this is the second party of French-British ammunition. The missile supply operation was called Chrysalide, which means "cocoon" or "butterfly doll". This choice can be explained by how the winged missiles store. They are packed in waterproof containers, "cocoons".

The RFI material says that there are two types of stocks in France SCalp: suitable for use, but with a shelf life that is coming to an end, as well as unusable rocket operation through "cannibalization" of spare parts. Some of them have been located at the MBDA concern in Bourge, where SCalp has been manufactured since the 2000s. The sources of the publication have reported that Ukraine is planned to transfer missiles that were subject to disposal.

However, before sending them to the Armed Forces, rockets have been fully restored and tested. It is also noted that the operation turned out to be very economically advantageous because the cost of recovery and testing cost a quarter of the cost of one new rocket. Open data, the cost of one Storm Shadow/Scalp-EG missile costs about 2 million pounds as of 2023. The restoration of rockets took place at the expense of the French Special Fund.

Therefore, the missiles that have already been written off were restored and handed over to Ukraine. The publication also states that there is an export version of the Scalp winged rocket, which has a limited range than in the base. It is likely that it is necessary to refine at the manufacturer before supplying Ukraine through the guidance system. The SCalp-EG missile is guided by GPS, as well as the inertial and visual guidance system.

In addition, the ammunition can shoot "heat traps" to deceive the ground air defense systems, and thus penetrate into the enemy defense. The battle part weighing 450 kg detours inside the target due to a special warhead. The United Kingdom also supplies its own version of Storm Shadow rocket to Ukraine. The distance of the lesion is not revealed, but the carrier of both rockets is the Su-24 bombers. Recall, on May 6, Emmanuel Macron stated that France does not seek to change the Russian regime.