Harriett Baldwin and her French counterpart have signed an agreement to explore future long range weapons for the British and French Navies and Air Forces.
The missile however will not be ready to replace Harpoon until 2030, leaving British frigates without any real means to engage surface warships aside from their helicopters.
Signed during a visit by M. Collet-Billon to the Ministry of Defence, the agreement begins a three year concept phase to develop future long range weapons for the British and French Navies and Air Forces.
Each country will contribute £50 million to this phase.
The Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon programme will look at options to replace and improve existing Naval and Air Force weapons systems in the next decade. Lasting up to three years, this will help to define the missile designs and reduce risks to inform decisions about the next stage of the programme
Alongside sharing costs, both sides will reportedly benefit from access to each other’s national technology expertise, trials and test facilities.
Minister of Defence Procurement Harriett Baldwin said:
“Our relationship with France is strong and enduring. We have a long history of cooperation in defence and security with our European Ally.
As demonstrated by having Europe’s largest defence budget, the UK is committed to European security and we will continue to collaborate on joint defence programmes across the continent. Today’s agreement will sustain 80 jobs in the UK.”
Délégué Général pour l’Armement Laurent Collet-Billon said:
“We are launching today a major new phase in our bilateral cooperation, by planning together a generation of missiles, successor to the Harpoon, SCALP and Storm Shadow. The FC/ASW (future cruise/anti-ship weapon) programme’s aim is to have by around 2030 a new generation of missiles.
This future capability is strategic, industrially as well as operationally. This new programme will be the backbone of our “one complex weapon” initiative.”
According to a press release:
“UK-French cooperation already covers a wide range of fields beyond the FC/ASW programme, including research emerging from the partnership on innovation and missile technologies (MCM-ITP), work to align our capability plans, development and production centred on the Future Air-to-Surface Guided Weapon (FASGW) and the mid-life update programme of the SCALP/Storm Shadow missile systems.”
This new project further strengthens MBDA’s industrial optimisation building on their new Centres of Excellence.
Harriett Baldwin had indicated earlier in the year that options for replacing the Harpoon anti-ship missile are ‘being considered’.
“The Harpoon system currently carried by the Royal Navy will reach its out of service date in 2018.
As part of a process of continuously reviewing the capabilities required to deliver their tasking, the Royal Navy is working alongside other areas of the Ministry of Defence to consider options for a Harpoon replacement.
I am withholding further detail as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.”
The minister added later:
“The Royal Navy is, of course, continuously assessing the capabilities it requires, and work is ongoing across the Department to consider the options for the Harpoon replacement.”
The Royal Navy is to lose its anti-ship missile capability in 2018 when the Harpoon missile is withdrawn.
While the fleet will still have an anti-ship capability via the submarine fleet and embarked helicopters, this will still be a significant capability gap. Harpoon missiles are unlikely to be replaced for up to a decade.
2030s in service date, is a very long time away. Given the inevitable time delays with advanced technology could see the RN without a ship launched heavyweight anti ship missile for 20 years.
I read “options for replacing the Harpoon anti-ship missile are ‘being considered’, as politican speak for not a chance in hell of a replacement being procured..
Aah… the Pegasus vapourware…. always tomorrows weapon.
Here we go again for a nother Anglo/French joint that probably won’t go anywhere.
And there you go…. I even get the name wrong…. ‘Perseus’.
Let us not all hold our breath!
As they are upgrading Storm Shadow in the meantime, why not upgrade the guidance to allow them to target moving ships? Add the close in guidance from the Spear 3 or even the latest version of the Exocet, both also made by MBDA, and you have a long range anti ship capability at what must be a relatively low additional cost if you are already doing an upgrade. Accepting that they will effectively only be fitted to the Typhoon (the Tornado retiring and the F-35 not being specified for Storm Shadow), they would fill a gap the RAF has had… Read more »
The good news about this is that in spite of a politically acrimonious Brexit already, from a point of view of defence the UK and France are still talking and co-operating. But something will be needed to fill the gap, there’s already been the sheer stupidity of the MPAs (I liked the MRA4, cancelled to save just £1 bn). Probably life support for the Harpoon or indeed enhanced capability for the Storm Shadow.
There are reports floating around the net that Boeing is touting an upgrade kit for the existing Harpoon missile inventories for under approximately $600 000.
I believe they are referred to as Block 2+ER have found information on the upgrades at Boeing’s own website and USNI news site.
Or perhaps the Kongsberg NSM, which I believe is fitted to the Roald Amundsen, arrrived last week for JW.
Your right…or does the MOD not want to tell us there is something available?
Harpoon Block 2 upgrade would be the most cost effective system and last for ten years until this new weapon comes into service, therefore it probably won’t be adopted.
Nice about missiles being added to the Taranis work as well other projects.
Now maybe the UK and France should do what they planned to do and build another QE Class carrier. Modules built here and assembled in Brest or wherever and let the French work out the catapults for their Rafales.
£1.75 Bn each should do it and share running costs. But no Garlic in the Ratings mess ..
[…] we reported last year, Harriett Baldwin and her French counterpart signed an agreement to explore future long range […]
[…] we reported last year, Harriett Baldwin and her French counterpart signed an agreement to explore future long range […]
[…] we reported last year, Harriett Baldwin and her French counterpart signed an agreement to explore future long range […]
[…] and even then, no Royal Navy helicopters will have anti-ship missile capabilities until 2020. As we reported last year, Harriett Baldwin and her French counterpart signed an agreement to explore future long range […]
[…] si remarca, britanicii si francezii au semnat in 2017 un acord de cercetare comuna pentru viitoare rachete antin…, inlocuitoare ale Harpoon si Exocet, dar si de croaziera, cu orizont 2030, avand in vedere ca […]