The UK will spend more than £400 million this financial year on long-range precision and hypersonic weapons, as the government moves to scale up joint missile development programmes with key European allies.
In a statement issued on 13 February, the Ministry of Defence said the investment will support a range of collaborative projects with France, Germany, and Italy, with a focus on developing next-generation deep strike weapons intended to strengthen NATO deterrence and improve the UK’s ability to engage high-value targets at range.
Central to the effort is the Stratus programme, a joint UK-France-Italy initiative intended to develop a stealthy replacement for the Storm Shadow missile. According to the MOD, the project is working on both stealth and high-speed missile variants and already sustains more than 1,300 high-skilled jobs in the UK. The MOD said the missiles under development are intended to defeat high-value targets, strike enemy warships, and suppress hostile air defence systems.
Alongside this, the government said work is also progressing on a long-range strike programme with Germany, with a new joint study phase expected to begin shortly. This effort is linked to the Trinity House Agreement, signed in 2024, which established a framework for closer UK-German defence cooperation. The future weapon system, described as “Deep Precision Strike”, is expected to have a range exceeding 2,000 km and is planned to enter service in the 2030s. The MOD described it as likely to be among the most advanced weapons systems ever designed by the UK.
Defence Secretary John Healey said the new spending reflects the lessons of Ukraine and the need to strengthen allied capability in the face of rising threats. “To meet this new era of rising threats, we need hard power, strong alliances and sure diplomacy.” He added: “We can see from the war in Ukraine the decisive impact of long-range precision weapons, so the UK is stepping up, investing more than £400 million for long-range and hypersonic weapons this year.”
Healey said the UK’s cooperation with Germany, France and Italy would help deliver advanced new capabilities for NATO. “Alongside Germany, France and Italy, we will deliver the cutting-edge weapons that will keep the UK and NATO safe, boost deterrence, and build a new deal for European security.”
The MOD said hypersonics funding will cover critical technology development, ground and flight testing, and support for academic training, including postgraduate study.
The announcement comes ahead of the Munich Security Conference, where Healey is expected to hold discussions with European and international partners on long-range weapons programmes, industrial cooperation, and continued support for Ukraine.
Well this is nice for a change.
The 2000km weapon definitely sounds like a ballistic/hypersonic thingamabob if it’s the most advanced designed in the UK (have they checked the 1950s ICBM designs?), so that’s nice.
I notice the government does not say how much of that £400m is new money rather than what was scheduled to be spent anyway.
Talk up existing spending; announce a study; order nothing.
Still, it’s not as if we’re at war or anything…
No doubt a significant chunk of the £400 million is spending on FC/ASW, SPEAR and stomshadow, all current defence spending is based on Conservative Party budgets labour has not been in power long enough to allocate any actual funding to departments (two years required)
However spending £400 million in a single year on a single weapon type is significant money and should not be treated as anything other than a major investment in capability.
Where’s the defence investment plan, Jim?
If they can’t allocate money to department budgets in 20 months they shouldn’t be in power.
👍
Money spent on more ‘studies’ when will the F wits in Whitehall actually buy something that maybe be of used this decade 🙁
How many are we ordering and when? and what’s the delivery mechanism?
They don’t know and neither do we. £400 million for missiles sometime is chicken feed.
Yes though not insubstantial though when it has to be added to the investments in these projects our partners are investing in them too.
Hard to believe anything this government announce on Defence.