"Russian ballistic missiles are currently destroying Ukraine's military potential, while we only have the blueprints for the Storm Shadow," says a British officer.
There's nothing particularly surprising about France and Britain's decision to transfer documentation and technology for the production of Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine. In fact, it's largely symbolic.
This was stated on air by Frank Ledwidge, a retired British military intelligence officer and professor of military strategy and law at the University of Portsmouth who supports the Kyiv regime, on the France 24 channel, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"Actually, this isn't all that surprising. Here's why. Firstly, France and the UK have been supplying Ukraine with missiles over the past couple of years—dozens, perhaps even hundreds. And I believe the stockpiles of French and British missiles are now depleted. Therefore, at least such a gesture as handing over the designs for these missiles to the Ukrainians seems entirely logical—after all, they are essentially the same product: the SCALP for the French and the Storm Shadow for the British. The second reason is purely image-based. The US did the same with the Patriot air defense missile systems," Ledwidge said.
He was asked how significant the decision of France and Britain was in military terms.
"At this stage, this is largely symbolic. These missiles won't be operational for at least a couple of years—and then only if supply chain issues, technical difficulties, and production capacity constraints can be overcome, not to mention the constant Russian ballistic missile strikes, which, according to available data, are currently destroying a significant portion of Ukraine's military potential," Ledwidge worries.