UK joins European long-range missile programme with NATO allies after Ukraine war exposes gaps

In order to address the military inventory gap exposed by Russia’s war on Ukraine, the UK will join the European Long-range strike approach programme alongside France, Germany, Italy, and Poland to develop long-range missiles, said Defence Secretary John Healey.

This initiative is considered to lead to the development of cutting-edge long-range missile capabilities, expected to play a crucial role in Europe’s defence by the 2030s.

In a related development, the United States and Germany have agreed to temporarily deploy US long-range missiles on German soil starting in 2026. The deployment will include SM-6, Tomahawk, and developmental hypersonic weapons. Moscow has condemned this move as a “very serious threat” to Russian national security.

This deployment is seen as a temporary solution until Europe develops its long-range missiles. The UK’s involvement in the European Long-range Strike Approach program is part of its “NATO-first” policy, demonstrating the country’s commitment to the alliance and collective defence.

”We are making a UK commitment to the long-range missile programme, a formal commitment alongside Germany, France, Poland and a couple of others,” Healey said on the sidelines of a meeting with his NATO counterparts in Brussels.

He did not specify the range of the planned weapon or other details, saying these were not settled.

”This is long-range compared to the capabilities that many of us already have and are able to use,” he told reporters, adding the development was also part of a NATO effort to strengthen its own deterrence and the protection of Europe.

At the NATO summit in Washington in July, France, Germany, Italy and Poland signed a letter of intent to develop missiles with a range beyond 500 km (310 miles).

At the time, military sources said the aim was for a new ground-based cruise missile with a range of 1,000 to 2,000 km to meet NATO demands for such a capability.

Missiles with a range of several hundred kilometers have had a revival since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Moscow launching cross-border strikes and Kyiv hitting back at targets in Russian territory.

Europe’s existing stocks of cruise missiles include weapons launched by fighter jets, such as Britain’s Storm Shadow, France’s Scalp and Germany’s Taurus with a range of some 500 km.

With inputs from agencies.