Cruise missiles are just part of the picture when it comes to decisive weaponrypublished at 12:09 BST
12:09 BST
Joe Inwood
World news correspondent
The announcement today that Ukraine is to be allowed to produce a version of the Anglo-French Scalp/Storm Shadow cruise missile is a useful addition to their arsenal.
But, in many ways it is cheap, mass produced drones and high altitude, high velocity ballistic missiles that have, so far, proved the most decisive in the war.
Drones follow a similar, although far slower, flight path to a cruise missile, flying at comparatively low altitudes. They lack the Storm Shadow’s ability to destroy hardened targets but can be launched in vast numbers.
Ballistic missiles, meanwhile, are launched at a steep trajectory, often reaching the edge of space, before coming down at many times the speed of sound.
This makes them far harder to intercept; with the devastation they can cause being seen night after night in Ukraine.
Currently, Ukraine lacks a domestic version of its own, certainly one effective enough to have a real impact at long range. But, they are in development.
Just a few days ago, a Ukrainian defence company called Fire Point took examples of its two domestically designed and produced ballistic missiles to a defence show in Denmark.
The FP-9 is claimed to be able to deliver a warhead weighing up to 800kg, with a range of 855km. It is a development they hope could prove decisive.