MBDA
Black Shaheen
Export variant of the MBDA Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG stealthy air-launched cruise missile, sold to the United Arab Emirates for its Mirage 2000-9 fleet.
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗
290
km range
0.8
Mach
450
kg warhead
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
National export licensing
Subject to Europe export-control approval; verify eligibility with the manufacturer.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Operator data not public
Status: active.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from. Why so few systems publish one →
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Competitive field
188 comparable systems from 43 other manufacturers
Counted in the WeaponSpecs database: missiles built by another manufacturer. A count of what this catalog holds, not a survey of the whole market. See the alternatives →
Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
| Max speed (Mach) Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters. | 0.8 Mach |
|---|---|
| Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence. | 290 km |
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
| Warhead Warhead mass. Heavier generally means larger effect radius, at the cost of range. | 450 kg |
|---|---|
| Warhead type Blast-fragmentation, shaped charge (HEAT), penetrator, thermobaric or nuclear-capable. | Multistage BROACH tandem penetration warhead |
| Guidance How the weapon finds its target: inertial, GPS/GLONASS, active/semi-active radar, infrared, laser, TV, wire. | GPS, INS, Imaging infrared (IIR), TERPROM terrain reference |
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
| Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable. | 5.1 m |
|---|---|
| Wingspan Wingtip-to-wingtip span. | 3 m |
| Width Overall width, matters for rail/road transport of vehicles. | 0.48 m |
| Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor. | 1,300 kg |
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
| Engine Powerplant model and type. | Microturbo TRI 60-30 turbojet |
|---|---|
| Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet… | turbojet |
Specifications compiled from public MBDA and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-05.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
Boeing AGM-86 ALCM Head-to-head comparisons
Black Shaheen vs
IRIS-T Frequently asked questions
What is the range of the MBDA Black Shaheen? +
The MBDA Black Shaheen has a maximum range of 290 km.
How much does the MBDA Black Shaheen weigh? +
The MBDA Black Shaheen has a combat weight of 1,300 kg.
What engine does the MBDA Black Shaheen use? +
The MBDA Black Shaheen is powered by the Microturbo TRI 60-30 turbojet.
Similar systems
Boeing
AGM-86 ALCM
Raytheon (RTX)
AIM-7 Sparrow
Northrop Grumman
AGM-88E AARGM
Raytheon (RTX)