Explained | What are SCALP and HAMMER missiles used by India during Operation Sindoor airstrikes?

In retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attacks on April 22 which killed 26 individuals, mostly tourists, India had launched precision missile strikes targeting terrorist installations in Pakistan and Pak-occupied Kashmir.

The military strikes were carried out under 'Operation Sindoor', the Indian Army said in a statement released at 1.44 am. The statement also emphasised the Indian Army’s “considerable restraint in the selection of targets and method of execution” stating that only terrorist infrastructure was targetted and military installations were left unharmed.

The strikes reportedly involved the usage of SCALP cruise missiles and HAMMER precision guided ammunition mounted on Rafale aircrafts.

What are SCALP missiles?

The SCALP, also known as “storm shadow”, is an air launched guided long range cruise missile known for its stealth capabilities. It’s ability to perform in any weather along with no affect in its capabilities.

The SCALP is a European missile system with its name standing for 'Système de Croisière Autonome à Longue Portée'.

According to a description by its manufacturer, MBDA systems, “the weapon offers a high precision mission planned deep strike capability. STORM SHADOW/SCALP’s exceptional accuracy is due to its advanced navigation system that combines INS, GPS and terrain referencing. After launch, the weapon descends to terrain hugging altitude to avoid detection. On approaching the target, its onboard infrared seeker matches the target image with the stored picture to ensure a precision strike and minimal collateral damage.”

Why was SCALP used?

As can be seen from its description, the SCALP has strong stealth capabilities along with exceptional accuracy; these features make it perfect for precision strikes against fixed, hardened targets such as command centres, airfields, and infrastructure. This along with it’s deep strike capability made it the perfect choice to strike terrorist infrastructure deep within Pakistan.

What are HAMMER guided bombs?

HAMMER (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range), is an all-weather precision air-to-ground munition with a range of 70 km, which is also known as a glide bomb.

The manufacturer of the munition, a French company called SAFRAN states, “AASM Hammer is compatible with different standard bomb bodies (125, 250, 500 and 1000 kg). Autonomous and insensitive to jamming, this weapon system can be launched from low altitude, over rough terrain.” Due to these capabilities along with a wide suite of guidance kits including INS/GPS, laser and IR, it is very well suited for Close Air Support missions as well as deep strike missions with its family of warheads and guidance kits.

Why was HAMMER used?

As can be seen from the description, the HAMMER guided munition is fully autonomous and completely unaffected by jamming. This combined with it’s ability to be launched at low altitude ensures that it is difficult to intercept, making it the perfect choice to penetrate fortified structures, such as the terrorist targets in Pakistan.

The usage of these weapons systems made the strikes incredibly effective and largely a success against terror infrastructure in Pakistan including the headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba.