The UK Government has confirmed for the first time that the Royal Navy’s new Type 26 frigates are planned to carry the STRATUS LO strike missile, following a written parliamentary reply outlining how the service intends to meet its Future Offensive Surface Weapon requirement.
Responding to a question from Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, Defence Minister Luke Pollard said the Royal Navy has “a requirement called the Future Offensive Surface Weapon (FoSUW) which will provide a long range anti-ship strike weapon with land attack capabilities, compatible with the Mk41 Vertical Launch System.”
He stated that this requirement “will be met through the Future Cruise Anti-Ship Weapon (FCASW) programme, which comprises two concept solutions, STRATUS LO and STRATUS RS.”
Pollard confirmed explicitly that “the STRATUS LO concept is planned to be integrated onto the Type 26 frigate to meet the Royal Navy FoSUW requirement.”
The confirmation places the Type 26 at the centre of the UK’s adoption of the STRATUS missile family, a UK–France programme rebranded from FC/ASW in 2025 and joined by Italy. STRATUS LO is a subsonic, low-observable cruise-strike weapon designed for long-range engagements against land or maritime targets, intended to provide a modern replacement for older systems including Storm Shadow, SCALP, Harpoon and Exocet.
The wider STRATUS programme will field two complementary missiles: the stealth-optimised STRATUS LO and the high-speed STRATUS RS, the latter focused on rapid supersonic engagements. Both are intended for deployment across air and maritime platforms, with integration centred on Mk41-equipped vessels such as the Type 26.
Only one type? – I’m surprised and disappointed
I suspect that the UK has been cold on the supersonic missile for some time.
Mach 3 doesn’t buy you much at the cost of range, loss of stealth and likely much higher cost.
The USA also cancelled its super sonic missile LRASM A and just stuck with the sub sonic Low observable LRASM B
Super sonic missiles seem now to come with many of the limitations of high speed weapons but without the hard to defeat capabilities of hypersonic weapons.
A one size doitall missile is long overdue now. Enough of the sales pitch, patter and garbage, what the military needs is a missile that will create chaos, murder and mayhem, whatever target it is launched at.
Otherwise scrap everything, and just move on to laser weapons!
Good news. Also by default will be going on type 31s as well making the RN frigate fleet that much more dangerous.
Is there going to be a cannister launched Stratus-Lo variant? Does this mean then that the RN will/won’t have NSM on its T26s for a hi-lo mix?
Naval Strike Missile is replacing Harpoon, but only temporarily. STRATUS will replace Naval Strike Missile when it’s ready. Presumably it’ll be scaled for MK41 VLS.
Good news .
Not much else they could put it on really unless they relent and actually fit Mk41 to the T31.
We already new the Stratus missiles were planned for the British frigate – the interesting part of this article is that the Minister being questioned did not mention the Stratus RS, referring instead only to the Stratus LO.
I think there are couple of possibilities we could potentially draw from this:
1. The RN intends at this time that only the Stratus LO will enter service aboard the Type 26 frigates.
2. The RAF and RN intend to purchase only the Stratus LO, and to leave the RS to the French, who are the leading nation on that missile.
I wonder whether this is because there will be a delay in Mk41 integration for the RS, or, alternatively, that there is no real intention to fit the RS into the Mk41, and instead desire to leave it as a canister and air-launched munition.
Another angle to consider might be that the RN has lost faith in the concept of a mid-supersonic, sea-skimming missile as a useful tool in the modern naval environment (useful compared to other missile types).