Britain and France have agreed to procure additional highly lethal Storm Shadow cruise missiles and accelerate development of their replacement, under a renewed defence agreement signed today.
The new agreement commits the UK and France to launch the next phase of their joint program for deep-strike and anti-ship missiles, bringing them a step closer to selecting a final design to replace the Storm Shadow.
The announcement, made during President Macron’s state visit to the UK, underscores both leaders’ commitment to strengthening Europe’s sovereign defense capabilities in response to the ongoing threat from Russia.
The Prime Minister and President Emmanuel Macron have also agreed to deepen their nuclear cooperation and work more closely than ever before on nuclear deterrence. The UK and France are Europe’s only nuclear-armed powers.
"In an important step forward for the UK-France nuclear partnership - a newly signed declaration will state for the first time that the respective deterrents of both countries are independent but can be coordinated, and that there is no extreme threat to Europe that would not prompt a response by both nations," the UK government said in the statement released today.
According to the statement, cooperation between both countries on nuclear research will also deepen, while working together to uphold the international non-proliferation architecture. Any adversary threatening the vital interests of Britain or France could be confronted by the strength of the nuclear forces of both nations, it added.
"From war in Europe, to new nuclear risks and daily cyber-attacks – the threats we face are multiplying. As close partners and NATO allies, the UK and France have a deep history of defence collaboration and today’s agreements take our partnership to the next level. We stand ready to use our shared might to advance our joint capabilities - equipping us for the decades to come,"- Prime Minister, Keir Starmer stated.
These partnerships include:
- Agreeing to build the next generation of deep strike, anti-ship missiles, replacing the lethally effective Storm Shadow;.
- Upgrading the existing Storm Shadow cruise missile production lines in Stevenage to bolster national stockpiles, making defence investment an engine for growth;
- Jointly developing the next generation of beyond visual range air-to-air missiles for the Royal Air Force’s fighter jets;
-Starting work on new advanced weapons to give an advantage against adversaries. This will include a new partnership to develop high-tech radiofrequency weapons such as microwave weapons and jammers that could be used to shoot down threats like drones and missiles;
- The UK and France will also look to harness the power of AI to make their missiles and drones more lethal, by developing algorithms for synchronised strikes.
The Combined Joint Force will be able to command a Combined UK/French Corps for the first time – the highest scale of deployed ground forces from a command perspective – made up of thousands of troops and working side-by-side with NATO allies.
For the first time it will also integrate space and cyber to counter new threats, boosting the abilities of the UK and France’s joint forces to quickly respond to developments on the battlefield through increased awareness and responsiveness supported by data from beyond just the ground, sea, and air.
A wheat-loaded train has traveled to Armenia through Azerbaijan, APA reports, following President Ilham Aliyev’s announcement in Kazakhstan about li...
The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi that hit the central Philippines on Tuesday has risen to 39 on the island of Cebu, a local government official sa...
Within the framework of the 'Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty,' and on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Azerbaijani National Press...
Voters in New Jersey and Virginia will choose their next governors on Tuesday in two crucial races that will serve as an early indicator of how the Am...
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced a major acceleration in Türkiye’s defence ambitions, pledging to move forward rapidly with homegrown ...
British police said on Sunday that a knife attack on a train which put 11 people in hospital was not a terrorist incident, adding that two men - both British nationals had been arrested.
Britain said on Wednesday it had agreed to a deal with Vietnam to curb illegal migration in what it described as the strongest Hanoi had ever agreed with another country.
Britain on Friday called for a raft of measures against Russia to strengthen Ukraine's hand ahead of any future peace talks, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy heads to London for discussions with key allies.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday published a senior official's evidence in the prosecution of two men charged with spying for China, seeking to demonstrate that the case did not collapse because of government manipulation.
Russia said on Monday that its troops had advanced in the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a transport and logistics hub that they have been trying to capture for over a year, but Ukraine said its forces were holding on.
At least 37 people have died and five are missing after devastating floods and landslides hit central Vietnam, officials said Monday, as a new typhoon threatens to worsen the disaster.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he does not believe the United States is going to war with Venezuela despite growing tensions, though he suggested President Nicolás Maduro’s time in power may be nearing its end.
A powerful earthquake measuring 6.3 struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif early on Monday, leaving at least 20 people dead, hundreds injured, and causing significant damage to the city’s famed Blue Mosque, authorities said, warning that the death toll was expected to rise.
Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan vowed on Monday to move on from deadly protests set off by last week's disputed election as she was sworn into office for her first elected term.
The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi that hit the central Philippines on Tuesday has risen to 39 on the island of Cebu, a local government official said.
Voters in New Jersey and Virginia will choose their next governors on Tuesday in two crucial races that will serve as an early indicator of how the American electorate is responding to President Donald Trump's unprecedented nine months in office.
Cheney who was considered by presidential historians as one of the most powerful vice presidents in U.S. history has died at age 84, his family said in a statement on Tuesday.
A Romanian worker trapped for hours under the rubble of a partially collapsed medieval tower near the Colosseum in central Rome has died, Italian and Romanian authorities said on Tuesday.
A Ukrainian man suspected of coordinating the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines has begun a hunger strike, demanding respect for his fundamental rights in prison, his lawyer said on Tuesday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment