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.

RAF Typhoon with Storm Shadows

“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.





Source link

Posted in
Uncategorized
Related Posts
Limousine Comments are Closed

Plan the perfect NYC Memorial Day weekend

Pack only what you need and avoid overpacking to streamline the check-in and security screening…

News Comments are Closed

LA’s worst traffic areas and how to avoid them

Consider using alternative routes, such as Sepulveda Boulevard, which runs parallel to the 405 in…

Sweden signs for four C-390 transports, as Embraer eyes further European customers

Sweden has formally signed for a future fleet of four Embraer C-390 tactical transports, with…

Greece’s Aegean commits to more ATRs for Olympic Air

Greek carrier Aegean has ordered a further two ATR 72-600 turboprops, as its Olympic Air…

Bulgaria’s GullivAir seeks year-round clearance to serve New York for Israel’s Arkia

Bulgarian wet-lease carrier GullivAir is seeking a year-long clearance to operate an Airbus A330-200 on…

Spanish operator Swiftair Group acquired by infrastructure fund

Spanish air cargo and wet-lease specialist Swiftair Group is being acquired by a financial fund…

Honeywell opens F124 engine MRO facility Madrid with ITP Aero for M-346 trainer support

Honeywell says a newly opened MRO facility in Madrid for the F124 engine that powers…

UK Royal Navy clears Wildcat helicopter’s MBDA Sea Venom anti-ship missile for frontline use

MBDA’s Sea Venom anti-ship missile has been declared ready for frontline use with the Royal…

France orders five more Dassault Aviation Falcon 2000LXS-based Albatros maritime surveillance jets

Paris has signed a follow-on order to provide the French navy with a maritime surveillance…

Icelandair recruits Play founder as it rejigs operations roles

Icelandair is rejigging its structure of operational roles, and has recruited one of the founders…

Polish air force pilots demo Boeing F-15EX Eagle II fighter with evaluation flights in Missouri

Officers from the Polish air force visited Boeing’s fighter delivery centre in the USA to…

Sokol plant initiates duplicate assembly line for MC-21 aft fuselage section

Assembly of aft fuselage sections of the Yakovlev MC-21-310 has commenced at the Sokol plant…

Post a comment

Your email address will not be published.