2011 Syrian Civil War

MdCN / SCALP Naval in the 2011 Syrian Civil War

French forces used MdCN/SCALP Naval missiles during the April 2018 U.S., UK, and French strike package in Syria, firing three naval cruise missiles from the FREMM frigate Languedoc against the Him Shinshar chemical-weapons storage facility.

Weapon profileMdCN / SCALP Naval
SideU.S., UK, and French strike forcesRoleLong-Range Strike
MdCN / SCALP Naval, Ship- and submarine-launched land-attack cruise missile, Artillery - 2011 Syrian Civil War
Image source: FREMM Aquitaine MdCN Test Launch Image

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
French forces fired three MdCN/SCALP Naval missiles in the April 2018 Syria strike package.

Sources: DoD Syria Strike Briefing, USNI Syria Strike Report

The documented launch platform was the French FREMM frigate Languedoc in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Sources: DoD Syria Strike Briefing, USNI Syria Strike Report

The documented target allocation places the three naval cruise missiles in the weapon mix used against the Him Shinshar chemical-weapons storage facility west of Homs.

Sources: DoD Syria Strike Briefing

MdCN/NCM is MBDA's French Navy deep-strike cruise missile for launch from surface ships and submarines.

Sources: MBDA MdCN NCM

Timeline

MdCN / SCALP Naval In 2011 Syrian Civil War

  1. Languedoc fires three naval cruise missiles

    Pentagon officials said the French frigate Languedoc fired three missiles from the Eastern Mediterranean during the coalition strike on Syrian chemical-weapons-related targets; the Him Shinshar storage facility weapon mix included three naval cruise missiles.

    Sources: DoD Syria Strike Briefing, USNI Syria Strike Report

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

MdCN/SCALP Naval use in the 2011 Syrian Civil War is directly documented in the April 14, 2018 U.S., UK, and French strike package against Syrian government chemical-weapons-related targets. In the Pentagon briefing after the strike, Lieutenant General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. said the Him Shinshar chemical-weapons storage facility west of Homs was attacked with 22 weapons, including three naval cruise missiles, and that the French frigate Languedoc fired three missiles from the Eastern Mediterranean.

USNI News separately reported that French naval forces fired three MdCN missiles from Languedoc during the Syria strikes, while MBDA identifies MdCN/NCM as the French Navy's ship- and submarine-launched deep-strike cruise missile, also known as Missile de Croisiere Naval.

Sources: DoD Syria Strike Briefing, USNI Syria Strike Report, MBDA MdCN NCM

Timeline

On April 14, 2018, coalition forces struck three Syrian government targets associated with chemical-weapons infrastructure: Barzah, the Him Shinshar storage facility, and a separate Him Shinshar bunker facility. The MdCN/SCALP Naval portion is tied to the second target, where the Pentagon listed three naval cruise missiles among the weapons used.

The strike followed the April 7, 2018 Douma chemical-weapons allegation and formed a limited U.S., UK, and French strike phase inside the wider Syrian Civil War.

Sources: DoD Syria Strike Briefing

Operational role

In this conflict, MdCN/SCALP Naval served as a French naval deep-strike weapon rather than a battlefield support system. The documented launch platform was the French FREMM frigate Languedoc in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the documented target was the Him Shinshar chemical-weapons storage facility west of Homs.

The public record supports a narrow use case: three French naval cruise missiles in a one-night coalition strike package. It does not support a broader pattern of repeated MdCN use in Syria, a complete French launch-attempt account, or a target-by-target allocation beyond the Him Shinshar storage-facility claim.

Sources: DoD Syria Strike Briefing, USNI Syria Strike Report, MBDA MdCN NCM

Related Weapons by Role

Storm Shadow, Air-launched cruise missile, MunitionsMunitionsStorm ShadowAir-launched cruise missileStorm Shadow is the UK name for the Franco-British Storm Shadow/SCALP air-launched cruise missile, a low-observable deep-strike weapon built by MBDA for precision attacks on hardened or high-value fixed targets. RAF Tornado GR4s used Storm Shadow from the Iraq War through Libya and the April 2018 U.S., UK, and French strikes in the 2011 Syrian Civil War, UK-supplied missiles later gave Ukraine a longer-range conventional strike option from adapted Su-24 aircraft, UK parliamentary records document Saudi use in Yemen, and the UK-France 2025 defence declaration tied new SCALP and Storm Shadow acquisition to production-line upgrades.
SCALP-EG, Air-launched cruise missile, MunitionsMunitionsSCALP-EGAir-launched cruise missileSCALP-EG is the French-service member of the Storm Shadow/SCALP air-launched cruise-missile family, an MBDA deep-strike weapon built for pre-planned attacks on high-value fixed targets such as hardened facilities and key infrastructure. French aircraft used SCALP-EG in Libya, Iraq and the 2018 Syria strikes, Ukrainian Su-24 aircraft later carried it as a Western long-range precision-strike option, Indian Rafales were reported to have used SCALP during Operation Sindoor in the 2025 India-Pakistan Conflict, and the UK-France 2025 defence declaration tied new SCALP and Storm Shadow acquisition to production-line upgrades.
BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, Ship- and submarine-launched land-attack cruise missile, MunitionsMunitionsBGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack MissileShip- and submarine-launched land-attack cruise missileThe BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, often abbreviated TLAM, is a U.S. long-range subsonic cruise missile used for deep precision strikes from naval surface ships and submarines, with newer variants also adding maritime-strike and warhead modernization paths. Documented combat use spans the 1991 Gulf War through Libya, Syria, Yemen, the Red Sea Crisis, Operation Inherent Resolve, and U.S. strikes on Iranian targets during the 2020 United States-Iran Conflict and 2025 Israel-Iran Conflict.
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Sources