France orders production of SCALP cruise missiles for 2025

In France, the Senate announced plans for ammunition orders, including SCALP cruise missiles.

The Senate stated that in 2025, €1.9 billion will be spent on ammunition orders.

“This is €400 million more than in 2024, which is an increase of +27%,” the Senate pointed out.

The list includes:

• AASM bombs;
• Meteor air-to-air missiles;
• Torpedoes;
• Mistral anti-aircraft missiles;
• Aster anti-aircraft missiles;
• SCALP cruise missiles;
• Exocet anti-ship missiles;
• 155-mm artillery shells.

This air-launched cruise missile with a range of up to 400 km is a joint development of the United Kingdom (Storm Shadow) and France (SCALP-EG).

The production is executed by the European consortium MBDA.

The 5.1-meter-long missile has a flight weight of up to 1,300 kg and a warhead weight of 450 kg.

The Ukrainian Air Force uses these missiles to strike the Russian Black Sea Fleet and other military facilities.

For this purpose, Ukrainian Su-24M/MR bombers have been adapted to use these long-range missiles.

The UK also provided similar air-launched cruise missiles to Ukraine.

In November, British Storm Shadow missiles hit a command post near the village of Maryino in the Kursk region.

These were the first strikes on military facilities in Russia, using Storm Shadow missiles provided by the UK. Later, it was reported that Paris also allowed Ukraine to hit Russia with French missiles.