Defence Secretary John Healey has confirmed that work on the joint UK-German long-range strike missile is speeding up, describing it as one of several major milestones under the Trinity House defence agreement.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Healey told MPs: “Within weeks, we will have German P-8s flying out of Lossiemouth. We have a new cyber programme to conduct joint activities. We have accelerated work on a new 2,000km deep precision strike missile, and a new £200 million bridging deal to support the British Army. This agreement is more important now than when we signed it a year ago.”
The missile project was first announced in May 2025 as part of the Trinity House Agreement, a bilateral defence partnership aimed at strengthening European security, deterring threats on NATO’s eastern flank, and deepening industrial collaboration between the UK and Germany.
At the time, the Ministry of Defence described the system as one of the most advanced weapons ever developed by Britain, capable of striking targets over 2,000 kilometres away. The programme is also expected to drive investment into the UK’s defence sector and sustain thousands of skilled jobs across both nations.
Industry sources and defence commentators have speculated in recent months about the pace and scope of development, with few public details released since the project’s initial announcement. Healey’s remarks provide the first on-record indication that technical work on the missile continues to advance within the framework of the Trinity House Agreement.
The broader partnership also covers cooperation on maritime warfare, including a joint procurement plan for Sting Ray torpedoes to equip the P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. German crews have already flown alongside RAF personnel as part of growing operational collab.
Healey reiterated that the UK-German partnership is “making a positive impact on our security and economy,” describing it as vital to both European defence and Britain’s industrial base.
“speeding up”. So twenty years or only ten?
Come on Geoff. These incredibly complex weapons don’t enter service overnight. Good news German P8s will operate out of Lossiemouth and they are purchasing Stingray
I was being ironic Robert but having said that nothing in this country seems to arrive on time anymore!
Well as the Germans are involved one hopes pretty damn quick, or is the unquestioning inbuilt belief in German technological supremacy the world loves to buy into just a myth. Now there’s a question to fathom.
We can only hope !
What does MOD talk mean when it says speeding up? ie meeting, chats about , ideas but no orders ever, like most things its joint projects that may or may not get there in the end. New bridging equipment, good news how about new SPG’s, bulldog replacement, counter UCAS defence, etc etc. All talk and not much else like the last 16 months. Are the MOD not buying any thing as they saving up for a big spend or are skint and just hidding it? Or most likely no one whats make choice or decide any thing just release statements about not a lot. What do the now gapped/gifted/retired AS90 units use day to day? most like brushes to sweap the empty gun parks, again.
Well I’m sure down the line we will learn how much of the new promise on military spending is real, how much is manipulated into anything but front line platforms and how much is aimed at keeping Trump and co happy while they drag out any reality in spending inherently in those promises. Trump got his first big political whacking last night so the tendency to want to drag matters for some time yet, will no doubt get some impetus.
Sadly you are right, it seems the uncress in defence spending is just spin as other things are added to budget so give with one hand , deny taking with the other. All warm words to make look like some thing is being done to address the shambolic state of the Army when really nothing has changed if any thing its got worse with not orders and 16 months nothing. Sad, sad days for the Army
Seems the Germans are realising that working with the U.K. is much easier than with the French
A lesson they once learned that they really should have stuck to. Sadly time has dimmed the memory for them and they took Brexit as a personal insult clearly, which has backfired for them immeasurably, talk about shooting yourself in both feet. They clearly thought that the Franco German project would be the only game in town instead of presently being only an obscure suburban out of town hellhole for them. Delusional fools clearly don’t just reside in Britain.
I think Germany is losing its guilt complex over WW2 – good thing too. The country is ‘moving on’ and realising it doesn’t need to play second fiddle to the French forever.
Working with the germans is the personification of red tape. The French get things done albeit alone
A European Tomahawk?
I hope a Ballistic Missile on a TEL that can disperse, and operated by the Royal Artillery in their own Regiment.
I forget, but whichever one operated Lance in BAOR seems apt.
Yes, it’s a ground launched longer range version of tomahawk probably borrowing very heavily from FC/ASW as it’s MBDA driving the design.
I think there are things happening now.. it’s a bit stealth like but suddenly the number of challenger 2s officially on the books has moved from 216 to 288, there has to be a reason for that one hopes.
Clearly they checked under the mattress.
On the book, you mean srap, pulled apart. No new one in service just doctor figures and smoke and mirrors. That’s the MOD for you these days empty statements with no real meaning but meant look like things are better thsn they are?. Or as I call it out and out misinformation and lies
We always had those extra Challengers sat around, we have countless pieces of kit sat in storage hangars long after they were no longer on the books. There are CVRT’s, Hawks, Tornados, Harriers, Warriors, 432’s, Gazelles and much more sat in MoD storage in moderate condition being used for spares and static training on the daily – and possibly if ever needed in a really awful situation reactivation. Much of what Ukraine has had off of us has come from these pools (think Sea King, CVRT’s and the hard points we stuck into the MiGs for some quick examples). The MoD very rarely puts information up on what is actually in storage but occasionally you get something like this that gives us an insight into it.
TLDR when challenger numbers started being reduced the MoD didn’t just bury them or scrap them (that costs money), they took the worst condition units and stuck them in a hangers and since then they have been used for training personnel and pinching bits when something breaks on an operational unit. The army still only has 200 odd combat capable units to deploy.
For me the question is why.. we all know the had 60 odd off the books challenger 2s in storage but why are they now “on the book”.. I would say it’s political.. but it would be a bit silly because now the move to challenger 3 is very publicly moving from 288 tanks to 154.. that’s a bad message.. so why ? If I was cutting my MBT force to 154 I would be keeping to present official figures at 212.. less of perceived cut. I’m starting to wonder if they are on the books because they are developing plans on how they convert more challenger 2 to 3… the reality is it does not matter what condition your challenger 2 is in it will just cost more to convert the more bits it’s had ripped out.
For me, a cynical attempt to increase mass on paper by including 72 stored and knackered Ch2 which have probably been cannibalised repeatedly in the overall total.
As why not include them in ones equipment figures in previous years otherwise?
We see the same “phenomenon” in the official RAF Squadron list. All through the Cold War and decades after numbered flying Sqns were on the list, and the many more minor supporting units in the RAF were not.
I know, I’ve spent 35 years listing and cataloguing them!
Now….hey presto! We have over 100 Squadrons! Giving supporting orgs Sqn number plates of long lost famous Sqn number plates whose aircraft were cut over 30 years of defence cuts doesnt fool anyone except the layman who picks up the RAF yearbook from WHSmiths.
One might say to counter that they can choose to name whatever they like, and that is true. But look at the underlying reasons, it’s not just about keeping famous Sqns alive.
I am sort of hoping that it means they have got all those sold hulls out of storage and started assessments on conversion to challenger 3.. for me one of the low hanging fruit would be getting 250+ challenger threes.. because even the most challenging rebuild is going to come well under the cost of an all up new MBT.
I would agree normally on the cynical move to increase mass on paper.. but government has announced its cutting the MBT force from 212 to 154.. bringing the official number back up for a couple of years just highlights your now cutting the force from 288 to 154… from a political messaging point of view to the public that’s a bad message.. so I don’t see the polical spin value to be honest.. if they were not moving to challenger 3 and cuttting to 154 it’s a good spin move… I’m therefore moving up my % dial on an increased challenger 3 conversion number.. when you add that to the fact they are keeping 3 regiments of MBTs.. I actually think it’s “likely” ( risk manager for over 50% chance of occurring) we will see a bigger number of challenger 3s.
I agree,
Has it not been over a year since the launch of the competition for Brakestop?