Scalp Missile (Storm Shadow): Check its Cost, Range, Specifications and Characteristics

The SCALP EG, known as Storm Shadow in the UK, is a long-range, air-launched cruise missile developed jointly by France and the United Kingdom. It was designed by Matra and British Aerospace in the 1990s and is now manufactured by MBDA. The missile entered service in 2003 and has been used in conflicts such as Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Ukraine.

Storm Shadow is engineered to strike high-value, well-defended targets like bunkers, airbases, and command centres. It employs a combination of GPS, inertial navigation, terrain-following radar, and infrared imaging for precise guidance.

The missile carries a 450 kg BROACH warhead capable of penetrating hardened structures. It travels at subsonic speeds and maintains a low altitude to evade enemy radar.

Indian Air Force used Rafales armed with French scalp cruise missiles to hit targets in Pakistan with precision.

Scalp is a long range low - observable cruise missile designed to hit targets deep inside enemy territory. Scalp has a range of 500km+ and a 450kg warhead capacity pic.twitter.com/6VaUFsRBwg

— The Armoury Brief (@TheArmouryBrief) May 7, 2025

With a range exceeding 250 km, Storm Shadow allows aircraft to launch attacks from a safe distance. It is compatible with various platforms, including the Rafale, Mirage 2000, Eurofighter Typhoon, and Su-24. The missile is in service with several countries, including France, the UK, Italy, India, and Egypt.

What Is the SCALP Missile (Storm Shadow)? Overview and Development

Source: BBC

The SCALP missile, also known as Storm Shadow in the UK, is a Franco-British long-range, air-launched cruise missile developed collaboratively by Matra and British Aerospace (now MBDA) since the mid-1990s. It is designed for precision strikes against high-value, stationary targets such as command centres, airfields, and infrastructure.

Key Features:

• Range: Typically exceeds 250 km, with some sources indicating up to 500 km depending on variant and launch parameters.
• Warhead: Equipped with a 450 kg BROACH tandem warhead, capable of penetrating hardened targets before detonating.
• Guidance: Uses inertial navigation, GPS, terrain-following radar, and an infrared terminal seeker for high accuracy and low observability.
• Stealth: Designed with a low radar cross-section and advanced navigation to evade air defenses.
• Deployment: Compatible with various aircraft, including the Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale, Mirage 2000, and others.

Development Overview:

• Initiated in 1994 to meet UK and French requirements for a precision, stand-off strike capability.
• The first successful guided firing occurred in France in 2000, with operational service entry for the UK in 2002 and France in 2005.
• The missile has seen operational use in multiple conflicts and is in service with several NATO and allied air forces.

SCALP Missile Specifications: Range, Warhead, Speed, and Accuracy

• Range: Operational range is typically between 250 km and 560 km, with most sources citing around 550 km for the latest variants.
• Warhead: Uses a multistage BROACH penetration warhead.
• Warhead weight: 400–450 kg (990 lb). The warhead features a precursor charge for initial penetration and a main charge for maximum destruction, effective against hardened and underground targets.
• Speed: Subsonic, with a maximum speed of Mach 0.8–0.95 (approximately 323 m/s).
• Accuracy: High precision, achieved through a combination of Inertial Navigation System (INS), GPS guidance, Terrain Reference Navigation (TERPROM), and Imaging Infrared (IIR) seeker for terminal guidance and automatic target recognition.
• The SCALP/Storm Shadow is designed for deep-strike missions, combining long range, stealth, and pinpoint accuracy against high-value, fortified targets

How the Storm Shadow Missile Works: Guidance and Targeting System Explained

1. Guidance System:

The Storm Shadow/SCALP missile uses a sophisticated, multi-layered guidance system for high-precision strikes:

• Inertial Navigation System (INS): Uses internal sensors to track the missile’s position and orientation throughout flight.
• Global Positioning System (GPS): Provides satellite-based location updates to correct and refine the missile’s course.
• Terrain Reference Navigation: Compares real-time terrain data from an onboard radar altimeter with pre-loaded digital maps, allowing the missile to fly at low altitude and avoid radar detection while maintaining accuracy – even if GPS is jammed.

2. Targeting and Terminal Phase:

• Pre-Launch Programming: Target coordinates, flight path, and mission data are programmed into the missile before launch. Once released, the missile is “fire and forget”-it cannot be redirected in flight.
• Low-Altitude Flight: After launch, the missile descends to a low altitude, skimming the terrain to evade enemy radar.

3. Final Approach:

• As it nears the target, the missile climbs briefly to improve its field of view and jettisons its nose cone.
• An imaging infrared (IIR) seeker activates, scanning the target area and matching what it “sees” to stored images for automatic target recognition.
• If the system cannot confirm the target (to avoid collateral damage), the missile will abort and fly to a crash point instead of striking the wrong object.
• Precision Impact: The missile then dives onto the target, detonating its BROACH warhead for maximum effect

SCALP Missile Cost and Countries That Use It

& HERE IS THE GAME CHANGING WEAPON PACKAGE WITH RAFALES that arrived last week in 🇮🇳

1) SCALP: Stealthy deep strike cruise missile
250Kms+
1300Kg
5.1m

2) METEOR: Beyond visual range air-to-air missile
100Kms+
190Kg
3.7m

3) MICA:
Multi mission air-to-air missile
80Km
110Kg
3.1m pic.twitter.com/hGSMesqSJ4

— Ashish Singh (@AshishSinghNews) July 27, 2020

The cost of a SCALP (Storm Shadow) missile varies by source and contract, but recent figures indicate:

• The unit cost is typically around $1 million per missile, according to several defence and news sources.
• Some official and procurement records list the price as £2 million (about $2.5 million) per missile for the UK and France as of fiscal year 2023.
• The difference in reported costs may reflect factors like export pricing, upgrades, or support packages, but the general range is $1–2.5 million per missile.

Which Countries Currently Use the Storm Shadow Missile?

The Storm Shadow missile is currently used by the following countries:

• United Kingdom: Original developer and primary operator, with operational use by the Royal Air Force since 2003.
• France: Uses the missile under the name SCALP EG, operational since 2003.
• Ukraine: Received Storm Shadow (from the UK) and SCALP EG (from France) missiles starting in 2023 and has used them extensively in the ongoing conflict with Russia.
• India: Reported to have used SCALP missiles (the French variant of Storm Shadow) in May 2025.

These missiles have also been used in past conflicts by the UK and France in regions such as the Gulf, Iraq, and Libya