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RAF Tornado aircraft used Storm Shadow missiles against Daesh for the first time.

| 2016
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World Defense & Security News - United Kingdom
 
 
RAF Tornado aircraft used Storm Shadow missiles against Daesh for the first time
 
Royal Air Force's Tornado fighter jets used Storm Shadow missiles against a very large concrete bunker in western Iraq, Typhoons destroyed a smaller bunker, and a Reaper struck targets in the north, the British Ministry of Defence announced yesterday June 27th.
     
RAF Tornado aircraft used Storm Shadow missiles for the first time against Daesh 640 001Armourers from 903 Expeditionary Air Wing (EAW) based out of Royal Air Force Akrotiri load a Tornado GR4 with Stormshadow cruise missiles
(Credit: UK Ministry of Defense/Crown)
     
"Intelligence had determined that Daesh were using a large concrete bunker in western Iraq as a weapons facility. Due to the massive construction, built during the Saddam era, it was decided to use four Storm Shadow missiles against it, as the weapon has particularly good capabilities against such a challenging target. The missiles were launched on Sunday 26 June by two Tornados, all four Stormshadows scored direct hits and penetrated deep within the bunker," the Defence Ministry said.

According to military analysts, this would be the first use of the Storm Shadow against Daesh.

Storm Shadow has been put into operations with the Royal Air Force and the French Air Force in 2003 and was used in the Gulf, Iraq and Libya. The missile is operated from Tornado, Rafale, Mirage 2000 and in the future from Eurofighter Typhoon and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.


The Storm Shadow has an operational range of 250 km and carries a 450 kg BROACH warhead (Bomb Royal Ordnance Augmented Charge). After launch, the Storm Shadow missile descends to a low cruising altitude powered by a turbojet engine. Guidance is based around a robust triple navigation system that uses Inertial Navigation, GPS (Global Positioning System) and Terrain Reference Navigatation, ensuring that the route selected by the mission planners can be achieved over land and water, even in the most severe counter measures environments. This three-level system provides the weapon with a high degree of navigational precision. The missile is equipped with an imaging infrared seeker that is activated during the final target approach phase. Automatic target recognition algorithms then compare the real scene with the target impact point designated during the mission planning phase, in order to hit the target exactly where required.

Fitted with the acclaimed «BROACH» penetrator and warhead, and with the ability to select direction and dive angle of attack, Storm Shadow is able to effectively engage a variety of targets such as control centres, hardened aircraft shelters, runways, buildings and bridges, SAM Systems and ships in port.
     
RAF Tornado aircraft used Storm Shadow missiles for the first time against Daesh 640 002A RAF Tornado GR4 fighter jet fitted with two Storm Shadow missiles
(Credit: UK Ministry of Defense/Crown)
 

 

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