Following a similar action by France, the UK will give Ukraine the blueprints for its British-French designed Storm Shadow cruise missiles, enabling Ukraine to manufacture the weapon at home. The action sends a crucial message that some Western countries are prepared to share their knowledge and know how to support Ukraine’s self-defense. However, this won’t significantly change how the battle plays out on its own.
Both France and Britain have already sent Kyiv Storm Shadow and Scalp missiles. They have previously been deployed to attack Russian military objectives. The weapons are pricey, costing about £1 million each, and they are not brand-new, having been created in the 1990s. They were constructed in peacetime at comparatively low rates—in the hundreds, not the thousands—and depend on intricate international supply lines.
Ukraine might have trouble sourcing parts even with the blueprints. Making the cruise missile themselves could take months or even years. It is actually impossible to win a war by imitating Western weapons manufacturing in times of peace. Even NATO countries are now aware of this. Britain and many of its allies have a tendency to produce expensive, highly sophisticated missiles in small quantities, which would quickly run out in any protracted confrontation.
In a 2021 NATO scenario, the UK military ran out of essential weapons in a matter of days, according to Gen. Ben Hodges, the former commander of the US Army in Europe. The UK military is no longer purchasing Storm Shadow missiles for itself, which is evidence of the recent shift in perspective.
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