Italy, together with France and the United Kingdom, supplies Storm Shadow/SCALP EG cruise missiles for Ukraine.

Grant Shapps, the UK’s Secretary of Defense, announced this.

During his visit to the MBDA UK production site, where the British Storm Shadow missiles are assembled and modernized, the Minister said that in addition to France and Britain, Italy also supplies missiles.

“I believe Storm Shadow was an extraordinary weapon. The United Kingdom, France, and Italy are preparing these weapons for use, in particular in occupied Crimea.”

It should be noted that the Italian government has not officially announced the transfer of this type of missile to Ukraine, but some Western experts believe that the transfer took place without any announcement.

Italy placed the first order for the Storm Shadow in 1999, and since then, according to unofficial data, the Italian Air Force has received 200 Storm Shadow missiles.

The missiles are used from Panavia Tornado strike aircraft and EF-2000A Typhoon fighter jets, which are their main carriers.

It should be noted that the visit of the British Minister of Defense Grant Shapps to MBDA UK may indicate the restoration of the assembly of these missiles in Britain.

Previously, this enterprise modernized and extended the service life of these missiles as part of the SPEAR Cap 4 (Selective Precision Effects At Range Capability 4) program.

The main improvement is the use of additional equipment that allows the missile to be redirected during flight and to evade enemy air defense systems.

According to the project manager at the time, the modernization was scheduled to be completed in 2022, and the missiles in the Defense Minister’s video may be newly manufactured.

“Inventory upgrades have been ongoing for several years, with completion expected in 2022,” the MBDA official noted.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps also revealed that as the government plans to increase defense spending, it intends to invest in accelerating the production of Storm Shadow cruise missiles.