by DAVID AXE
On Oct. 23, the Ukrainian air force sortied some of its Sukhoi Su-24 bombers to launch Storm Shadow cruise missiles at the Proton electronics plant in Oryol, 100 miles from Russia’s border with Ukraine.
Several of the two-ton missiles slammed into the factory, which produces components for Russian munitions including the Iskander ballistic missile. Iskanders have been wreaking havoc in Ukrainian cities as Ukraine’s air defenses struggle with a deep shortage of their best surface-to-air missiles. In particular, American-made Patriots.
The damage the Storm Shadows apparently inflicted is a healthy reminder that, despite building its own one-way attack drones and the Flamingo ground-launched cruise missile, the air-launched Storm Shadow is still uniquely useful. It flies low enough to avoid detection and interception, and strikes hard enough with its tandem warhead to inflict lasting damage.
The timing of the strike is no coincidence. Just two weeks ago, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelensky asked U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham for more Storm Shadows. Burnham agreed.
