MBDA's Storm Shadow Wins Major Industry Award

MBDA’s long-range, conventionally armed stand-off cruise missile, Storm Shadow, has been declared winner of the Missiles and Military Aircraft category of the 2004 Aerospace Industry Awards. MBDA was declared winner of the award at the 11th Aerospace Industry Awards ceremony and gala dinner held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Singapore during the Asian Aerospace Exhibition.

Accepting the award on behalf of MBDA, Didier Evrard, managing director and former director of the multinational Storm Shadow / SCALP EG programme, said : “I am honoured to be here in Singapore to receive such a prestigious award. It is a recognition of the skill and dedication of a multinational European project team to develop and deliver into service the most advanced precision strike missile system in the world“.

Shortlisted along with Lockheed Martin, Eurofighter and Textron Systems, MBDA’s Storm Shadow won the award for its technological achievement in revolutionising air forces’ airborne precision strike capability.

Storm Shadow demonstrated unprecedented surgical precision against strategic targets when it was deployed for the first time on Tornado GR4 combat aircraft operated by the Royal Air Force’s 617 “Dambusters” Squadron during Operation Telic in 2003. A total of 27 missiles were fired during the conflict and RAF aircrew and coalition commanders declared the missile system’s capabilities in terms of range, precision and penetration to be leading the field in missile design.

Storm Shadow has now entered series production for the UK’s Royal Air Force and is also entering service with the French Air Force where the missile is designated SCALP EG.

Launched in 1994, the Aerospace Industry Awards is today accepted as the premier programme recognising excellence in the aerospace industry. Organisied by Flight International magazine, the Awards alternate between the Paris and Asian Aerospace shows. Further information about the Awards and this year’s winners can be found on the Awards website : www.theaerospaceawards.com
In 1997, the UK Ministry of Defence placed a €1.13 billion (£980 million) for the Storm Shadow missile with MBDA for integration onto the RAF’s Tornado GR4 and Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft. The missile will also be fitted to the Joint Strike Fighter.In December 1997, the French DGA issued a development and series production contract for the weapon, designated SCALP EG, to enter service with the Mirage 2000D and Rafale aircraft for the French Air Force. It will also arm the French Navy Rafale aircraft deployed on the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier. Italy joined this European cruise missile programme in October 1999. In August 2000, Greece ordered SCALP EG to equip its Mirage 2000-5 Mk2 fighters. The UAE has also ordered the missile system and is known as Black Shaheen.

Storm Shadow / Scalp EG is a conventionally armed, stealthy, long-range air–to-ground missile designed to neutralise high value targets while avoiding collateral damage. This precision, day or night, all-weather missile system is optimised for pre-planned attacks on strategic targets whose positions are accurately known before the mission. These would typically be well-defended, infrastructure targets such as port facilities, control centres, bunkers, missile sites, airfields and bridges that would otherwise require several aircraft and missions during the early moments of a conflict at a time when air-superiority might not yet have been achieved.

Target co-ordinates for the mission are programmed into Storm Shadow / Scalp EG on the ground so demands on aircrew are kept to a minimum. The fire and forget missile once launched will find its way to the intended target autonomously which, combined with the missile’s range, allows the launch aircraft to keep well clear of danger from enemy air defences.

After launch at either medium or low altitude, Storm Shadow / Scalp EG descends to its optimum low-level cruising altitude thereby avoiding radar detection. The missile finds its target through continuous updates to its navigation system. This is supplied by the missile avionics which incorporate both digital terrain profile matching (a forward looking system which allows Storm Shadow / Scalp EG to follow the contours of the ground while confirming its position in relation to the target) as well as GPS (Global Positioning System) and inputs from an Inertial Measurement Unit. This multiple navigation system gives Storm Shadow / Scalp EG exceptional navigational precision as well as a high resistance to enemy countermeasures.

During the final target approach, terminal guidance is provided by an imaging infrared seeker, supported by an automatic target recognition system which compares the actual scene with the programmed memorised scene. The designated target is thereby identified and the missile is guided onto the selected aim point.

With an annual turnover exceeding € 2 billion, a forward order book of over € 14 billion and over 70 customers world wide, MBDA is a world leading, global missile systems company.

MBDA is jointly owned by BAE SYSTEMS (37.5%), EADS (37.5%) and FINMECCANICA (25%).

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