France and the UK are to order fresh batches of MBDA Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG cruise missiles, while also strengthening their commitment to an in-development successor capability, and pledging to jointly develop a future extended-range air-to-air missile.

To be signed on 10 July as part of a bilateral Lancaster House 2.0 declaration, the initiatives form part of a broader strengthening of co-operation between the nations, also covering their posture around nuclear weapons.

“Upgrading the existing Storm Shadow production lines will support more than 300 jobs at manufacturer MBDA,” the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirms.

French armed forces minister Sebastien Lecornu – who visited MBDA’s Stevenage production site in Hertfordshire with UK defence secretary John Healey on 9 July – notes that Paris’s last order for the SCALP-EG was signed 15 years ago. Both nations have donated weapons from their existing stockpiles for use by the Ukrainian air force.

The partners also have agreed “to build the next generation of deep strike, [and] anti-ship missiles”. MBDA units in both countries are already working to develop the Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon, with service introduction expected from the early 2030s. The project will deliver successors for the company’s current cruise missile design and its Exocet anti-ship weapon.

Without providing further details, the MoD says the UK and France also have pledged to “jointly develop the next generation of beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles for the Royal Air Force’s fighter jets”. Both nations are current users of MBDA’s ramjet-powered Meteor, respectively employed by their Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Aviation Rafale fleets.

Regarding nuclear armaments, the pair will declare that “the respective deterrents of both countries are independent but can be co-ordinated, and that there is no extreme threat to Europe that would not prompt a response by both nations”, the UK MoD states.

“As close partners and NATO allies, the UK and France have a deep history of defence collaboration, and today’s agreements take our partnership to the next level,” says UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “We stand ready to use our shared might to advance our joint capabilities,” he adds.

“By deepening defence industrial cooperation with France, it will boost the UK’s own national resilience, ability to deter against attacks, and defend against threats, reinforcing the contribution to NATO,” Healey states.