The Storm Shadow standoff cruise missile made its operational debut the night of 21/22 March during the initial air attacks of operation Iraqi Freedom. Two Storm Shadow loaded under the fuselage of a Tornado GR.4 The weapon weighs 1300 kg and has a range of 3 - 135 nm. It cruises at Very Low altitude, utilizing terrain-following flight profiles over land, at a speed of 528 knots. It has a stealthy signature and a multipurpose 454 kg (76 dp) warhead. It can be set for penetration or conventional blast/frag effect. Its 3rd generation seeker uses Inertial & GPS guidance combined with terminal IIR homing with an automatic target recognition feature. It formally entered service with the UK in late 2002, and will enter service with France in 2003. A Tornado GR.4 can carry two under the fuselage. It will also be carried by the Eurofighter Typhoon and Rafale. Customers include the UK, France, and Italy. A Storm Shadow missile being readied before its operational debut on 21/22 March BT Back to The Naval Sitrep # 24 Table of Contents Back to Naval Sitrep List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2003 by Larry Bond and Clash of Arms. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history and related articles are available at http://www.magweb.com