The Ministry of Defence says the Stratus future cruise and anti-ship missile programme is approaching its Demonstration Phase, with full-scale system testing scheduled to begin in 2028 and integration planned for Typhoon, Rafale and Royal Navy Type 26 frigates.
The first full-scale system tests of the UK’s Stratus future cruise and anti-ship missile are scheduled to begin in 2028, with development work already completed on the airframe, engine, warhead and seeker, the UK Defence Journal understands.
New parliamentary answers from Defence Minister Luke Pollard provide an update on the programme formerly known as the Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon, or FC/ASW, which is being developed with European partners. Responding to Conservative MP James Cartlidge, Pollard said Stratus was continuing to raise its technology readiness and system maturity through modelling, subsystem testing and trials.
Pollard said: “To date, the programme has completed testing of the airframe design, engine demonstration, warhead and seeker performance. The first full scale system tests are scheduled from 2028.”
A separate answer to Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty confirmed that the programme remains on schedule and is expected to move into its Demonstration Phase shortly. Pollard said: “The Stratus programme with our European partners continues to progress to schedule. Development of the weapons and sub-systems is maturing, and the programme will transition soon to its Demonstration Phase.”
The Ministry of Defence also confirmed that Stratus weapons are planned for integration across both air and maritime platforms. Pollard said the weapon systems would be integrated “variously to Typhoon, Rafale and selected naval platforms including the Royal Navy’s Type 26 frigate.”
Stratus is intended to provide the UK and its partners with a new generation of long-range strike and anti-ship weapons. In British service, the programme is intended to succeed capabilities currently provided by Storm Shadow for deep strike and Harpoon for anti-ship warfare, although the precise configuration and performance of the future weapons remain sensitive.
The MOD has now given a further indication of the intended performance of the low-observable version of Stratus. Asked directly for its range, Pollard declined to provide a figure on security grounds but said it would considerably exceed the weapons it is replacing.
He said: “As he will recall from his time as a Defence Minister, the operational range for the Stratus LO missile is classified information. However, the range is significantly greater than the Storm Shadow and Harpoon weapons that it is replacing.”
That statement does not provide a specific range, however, but it confirms that the MOD expects the low-observable Stratus weapon to offer substantially greater reach than either of the existing British systems cited in the answer.
Storm Shadow is an air-launched cruise missile used for long-range strikes against fixed or hardened targets, while Harpoon is a ship-launched anti-ship missile used against surface vessels.
The planned Type 26 integration is particularly relevant to the Royal Navy, which is introducing eight of the anti-submarine warfare frigates.
Presumably it will be ship launched via Mk41 VLS so can also be carried on Type 31 when they get around to fitting the Mk41……
I really hope we get this on the SSN A as well.
I’d stick with TLAM for now. No point complicating the SS-A procurement any more than is required.
Test in 2028, think about it between 2029 and 2034, change of mind in 2035, pause and start again in 2036. 🤔
Isn’t there meant to be 2 missiles that are part of the of Stratus family? Are both of them going to tested in 2028?
The French are responsible for the other one, the Stratus RS, and it looks like the UK probably won’t procure the RS in the near future.
None of the answers distinguished between Stratus LO and RS. Most likely they are referring to just LO, which is the British-led missile.
The plan to buy both was always tenuous as the reason for two missiles was that each country’s tests led to different conclusions as to the better form for an anti-ship missile.