5 days ago
U.K. and France recommit to Storm Shadow missile and its successor
The U.K. and France committed to buying additional Storm Shadow cruise missiles, wielded in the Russia-Ukraine war, while also pursuing a more sophisticated replacement.
Why it matters: It's a sign of deepening relations between London and Paris, where the missile is known as SCALP.
The deal falls under an updated Lancaster House Agreement, which details military and defense-tech cooperation between the two governments.
The latest: Storm Shadow production lines will be upgraded, supporting 300-plus jobs at multinational contractor MBDA, while the next phase of a "project for both deep strike and anti-ship missiles" moves forward, according to a joint announcement.
British and French defense chiefs John Healey and Sébastien Lecornu recently visited an MBDA facility. The latter posted on X: "Production of SCALP missiles to equip our forces will resume in 2025, 15 years after our last order."
Zoom out: The Ukrainian military has lobbed Storm Shadows at Russian forces despite Moscow's warning of retaliation.
