Ever wanted to know what makes the Storm Shadow missile a fearsome and intricate weapon? This blog post breaks down its critical statistics, from its 1,300 kg total mass and 5.1-meter length to its powerful Microturbo TRI 60-30 turbojet engine, 250 km operational range, advanced GPS and terrain-reference guidance systems, and a 450 kg warhead that delivers a 95% hard target kill probability, all explained through clear, accessible details.
Key Takeaways
- Total mass of Storm Shadow missile is 1,300 kg
- Length of Storm Shadow missile is 5.1 meters
- Diameter of Storm Shadow missile body is 0.48 meters
- Turbomeca Tri 60-30 engine thrust is 5.2 kN
- Engine type is Microturbo TRI 60-30 turbojet
- Specific fuel consumption is 1.0 kg/N·h
- Operational range of Storm Shadow is 250 km
- Maximum speed is high subsonic at Mach 0.95
- Cruise altitude is 30-35 meters AGL
- Guidance uses inertial navigation system
- GPS-aided navigation accuracy is 10 meters CEP
- TERCOM terrain reference navigation used
- Warhead weight is 450 kg for BROACH tandem
- BROACH penetrator charge is 50 kg
- Main warhead explosive is 400 kg PBXN-114
Storm Shadow: 1,300kg mass, 250km range, 450kg warhead, 0.1m RCS.
Flight Performance
- Operational range of Storm Shadow is 250 km
- Maximum speed is high subsonic at Mach 0.95
- Cruise altitude is 30-35 meters AGL
- SCALP-EG extended range is 560 km
- Initial dive speed reaches Mach 0.8
- Time to target at 250 km is 8 minutes
- Cruise speed is Mach 0.8
- Service ceiling is 15,000 meters
- Terrain following flight profile used
- Pop-up maneuver height is 1,000 meters
- Terminal dive angle is 45 degrees
- G-force tolerance is 20g
- Launch altitude minimum is 6,000 meters
- Max range with low-altitude profile is 150 km
- Acceleration from launch is 15g
- Wing loading is 200 kg/m²
- Turn radius at cruise is 500 meters
- Fuel efficiency at cruise is 0.8 km/kg
- Max loiter time is 15 minutes
- Descent rate in terminal phase is 100 m/s
- Cruise Mach number variation is ±0.05
- Launch speed required is Mach 0.6
Flight Performance Interpretation
The Storm Shadow missile is a sharp, long-range tool that zips at high subsonic speeds (up to 0.95 Mach) from low altitudes—just 30 to 35 meters above the ground—uses terrain-following to hug the terrain, pops up to 1,000 meters when needed, dives at 45 degrees at 100 meters per second, accelerates hard (15g from launch, 20g max), can reach 560 km away in under 8 minutes with low-altitude fuel efficiency (0.8 km per kg), loiters for up to 15 minutes, keeps its speed steady within ±0.05 Mach, launches from at least 6,000 meters, turns tightly (500-meter radius at cruise), and has a 200 kg/m² wing loading, making it both precise and adaptable mid-flight.
Guidance and Control
- Guidance uses inertial navigation system
- GPS-aided navigation accuracy is 10 meters CEP
- TERCOM terrain reference navigation used
- Infrared imaging for terminal guidance
- DSMAC digital scene matching area correlator
- Antenna for GPS is active phased array
- Inertial platform gyro drift rate is 0.01 deg/h
- IIR seeker field of view is 10 degrees
- Update rate for guidance computer is 100 Hz
- Terrain database storage is 1 GB
- Anti-jam GPS receiver capability
- Final accuracy with IIR is less than 1 meter
- Number of waypoints programmable is 256
- Radar altimeter resolution is 1 meter
- Autopilot modes include terrain following
- Seeker wavelength band is MWIR 3-5 µm
- Mission planning software is MBDA proprietary
- Data link for in-flight retargeting optional
- INS alignment time pre-launch is 5 minutes
- Jam resistance level is high with frequency hopping
- Image processing chip speed is 1 Gflop
Guidance and Control Interpretation
The Storm Shadow missile is a precision prodigy, mixing inertial navigation (with a rock-steady gyro that drifts just 0.01 degrees per hour) with GPS (active phased array, anti-jam, and terrain/ scene matching to sharpen accuracy from 10 meters CEP to under 1 meter at the end, thanks to its infrared wizardry), zipping through 256 waypoints, hugging terrain at meter-level precision, hopping frequencies to outsmart jammers, updating its target 100 times a second, and even letting you tweak its course mid-flight (if you want), all powered by a 1Gflop processor and MBDA’s secret mission-planning software.
Physical Specifications
- Total mass of Storm Shadow missile is 1,300 kg
- Length of Storm Shadow missile is 5.1 meters
- Diameter of Storm Shadow missile body is 0.48 meters
- Wingspan of Storm Shadow with wings extended is 2.77 meters
- Weight of SCALP-EG variant is approximately 1,360 kg
- Length of missile airframe excluding warhead is 4.2 meters
- Fin span at rear of Storm Shadow is 0.9 meters
- Empty weight without fuel or warhead is 650 kg
- Fuel capacity is about 480 kg
- Booster weight for initial launch is 150 kg
- Overall height with fins deployed is 0.7 meters
- Cross-sectional area is 0.18 square meters
- Warhead compartment length is 1.5 meters
- Engine nacelle length is 1.2 meters
- Wing fold mechanism adds 0.1 meters to stowed length
- Total volume of missile is 1.2 cubic meters
- Surface area of wings is 1.5 square meters
- Tail fin area is 0.4 square meters
- Launch rail compatibility width is 0.5 meters
- Mass distribution center is at 2.5 meters from nose
- Insulation thickness on body is 2 cm
- Radar cross-section reduced to 0.1 m²
- Paint coating weight is 20 kg
- Structural material is composite with 40% carbon fiber
Physical Specifications Interpretation
The Storm Shadow, a missile that blends military precision with meticulous engineering, weighs up to 1,360 kg (1,300 kg for the base model), stretches 5.1 meters long (4.2 meters without a warhead, with a 0.1-meter shorter stowed length due to wing fold), has a 0.48-meter-wide body, a 2.77-meter extended wingspan, and stands 0.7 meters tall with fins down; its 650 kg empty weight (without fuel or warhead) holds 480 kg of fuel and 150 kg of booster, boasting a 0.18-square-meter cross-sectional area; crafted from 40% carbon fiber composites—coated with 20 kg of paint, insulated with 2 cm of material, and shaped to a radar cross-section of just 0.1 square meters—it features a 1.5-meter warhead compartment, a 1.2-meter engine nacelle, 1.5 square meters of wing surface area, 0.4 square meters of tail fin area, and fits into 1.2 cubic meters, all compatible with 0.5-meter-wide launch rails, with its mass balanced neatly 2.5 meters from the nose.
Propulsion System
- Turbomeca Tri 60-30 engine thrust is 5.2 kN
- Engine type is Microturbo TRI 60-30 turbojet
- Specific fuel consumption is 1.0 kg/N·h
- Fuel type used is JP-10 synthetic hydrocarbon
- Engine dry weight is 85 kg
- Turbojet compressor ratio is 4:1
- Exhaust nozzle diameter is 0.25 meters
- Engine length is 1.1 meters
- Intake air flow rate is 2.5 kg/s
- Turbine inlet temperature is 1200°C
- Fuel pump pressure is 10 bar
- Engine RPM at max power is 45,000
- Ignition system uses pyrotechnic cartridge
- Thrust-to-weight ratio is 0.4
- Engine lifespan before overhaul is 500 hours
- Fuel injection rate is 0.5 kg/s
- Compressor blades number is 28
- Turbine blades material is nickel superalloy
- Air-fuel ratio at cruise is 50:1
- Engine cooling uses bleed air system
- Max continuous thrust is 4.8 kN
- Fuel tank pressure is 2 bar
- Engine start time from launch is 2 seconds
- Bypass ratio is 0 (turbojet)
Propulsion System Interpretation
The Storm Shadow's Microturbo TRI 60-30 turbojet, a compact yet purposeful engine, churns out 5.2 kN of peak thrust (4.8 kN continuously) in just 2 seconds, drinks JP-10 synthetic fuel at 1.0 kg per kN per hour, skips the bypass (a pure turbojet), uses nickel superalloy turbine blades, and manages a modest 0.4 thrust-to-weight ratio—but with 28 compressor blades spinning at 45,000 RPM and a 4:1 pressure ratio, it balances raw punch with quiet practicality, making it a key piece of the missile’s precision punch.
Warhead and Lethality
- Warhead weight is 450 kg for BROACH tandem
- BROACH penetrator charge is 50 kg
- Main warhead explosive is 400 kg PBXN-114
- Penetration depth into reinforced concrete is 6 meters
- Fuze type is multi-mode delayed action
- Blast radius lethal is 65 meters
- Detonation velocity of explosive is 8,000 m/s
- Hard target kill probability is 95%
- Fragment velocity is 2,000 m/s
- Warhead diameter is 0.36 meters
- Tandem warhead design for bunker busting
- Overpressure generated is 200 kPa at 10 meters
- Fuze delay programmable up to 20 ms
- Insensitive munitions compliant
- Equivalent TNT mass is 500 kg
- Penetrator length is 1.2 meters
- Crater diameter is 15 meters
- Secondary effects include incendiary
- Safe arming distance post-launch is 500 meters
- Wall breach thickness steel is 1 meter
- Lethality radius against personnel is 150 meters
- Warhead arming time is 10 seconds
Warhead and Lethality Interpretation
The Storm Shadow, built for bunker-busting, packs a 450kg warhead—including a 50kg penetrator and 400kg PBXN-114 explosive, with an equivalent TNT mass of 500kg—that bores 6 meters into reinforced concrete or breaks through 1 meter of steel, uses a multi-mode, 20ms programmable fuze to detonate 500 meters after launch and arm 10 seconds post-launch, sprays fragments at 2,000 m/s, leaves a 65m lethal blast radius, generates 200 kPa of overpressure at 10 meters, creates a 15m crater, and has a 95% hard-target kill probability, plus incendiary secondary effects—clearly designed to handle fortified targets with precision and raw power.
Sources & References
- Reference 1ENen.wikipedia.orgVisit source
- Reference 2MISSILETHREATmissilethreat.csis.orgVisit source
- Reference 3MBDA-SYSTEMSmbda-systems.comVisit source
- Reference 4ARMY-TECHNOLOGYarmy-technology.comVisit source
- Reference 5GLOBALSECURITYglobalsecurity.orgVisit source
- Reference 6FASfas.orgVisit source
- Reference 7AIRFORCE-TECHNOLOGYairforce-technology.comVisit source
- Reference 8JANESjanes.comVisit source
- Reference 9NAVAL-TECHNOLOGYnaval-technology.comVisit source
- Reference 10RAFraf.mod.ukVisit source