Bloomberg: Ukraine may be allowed to strike Russia with US-guided Storm Shadow missiles

The US and UK governments are discussing the possibility of allowing Ukraine to launch long-range strikes against Russia using British cruise missiles with American navigation data, Bloomberg reported, citing informed sources.

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According to the sources, this issue was part of talks held over the past few days involving US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in London and Kyiv.

As Kyiv pushes for more powerful Western weapons to strike military targets within Russia, officials discussed whether the White House could authorize Ukraine to use British Storm Shadow missiles in cross-border attacks, the sources said.

Storm Shadow missiles are precision-guided air-launched missiles with a range of over 250 kilometers (155 miles). They fly at low altitudes and high speeds, relying on a combination of inertial navigation, Global Positioning System (GPS), and terrain-reference navigation to guide their path.

The GPS is operated by the Pentagon but is also used for civilian purposes, such as online route planning for drivers.

In complex operations, Storm Shadow missiles can use US-provided data to help them map terrain in detail with high accuracy, according to the sources.