UK to spend PS400 million on hypersonic missiles to boost security
Britain will spend £400 million developing long-range missiles this year as part of ‘a new deal for European security’, the Defence secretary has announced.
The money will go towards replacements for the Storm Shadow missile, which has been used by Ukraine to hit targets across the Russian border.
These include the Stratus ‘stealth’ missile being developed with France and Italy and the Deep Precision Strike system being built in cooperation with Germany.
Defence Secretary John Healey is expected to discuss both projects along with further industrial cooperation with Britain’s European allies at the Munich Security Conference, which began on Friday.
Healey said the projects would ‘deliver the cutting-edge weapons that will keep the UK and Nato safe, boost deterrence and build a new deal for European security’.
Part of a 2024 defence agreement with Berlin, Deep Precision Strike is intended to provide a hypersonic missile capable of flying at more than five times the speed of sound and with a range of more than 2,000 kilometres.
It is expected to come into service in the 2030s.
Hypersonic missiles, which can travel fast enough to evade air defences, have been deployed by Russia in Ukraine alongside other ballistic missiles and attack drones.
Healey said: ‘To meet this new era of rising threats, we need hard power, strong alliances and sure diplomacy.
‘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.’
By Christopher McKeon, Press Association Political Correspondent
Press Association: News
source: PA
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