BELFAST — Germany and the UK jointly plan on delivering a Deep Precision Strike weapon, capable of hitting targets at a range of 2,000 km (1,240 miles) in the “next decade” as part of a new agreement between the two European powers, signed in London today.
Ahead of the pact being inked by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the British government said that the future weapon will be “among the most advanced systems” it has ever manufactured.
“The rapid development of this capability will safeguard the British public and reinforce NATO deterrence, while boosting the UK and European defence sectors through significant industrial investment,” the UK statement said.
The pursuit of a new, long-range strike capability was revealed by London and Berlin in May, but today marks the first time the two capitals have committed to a timeline for the capability. Significant design choices, however, have yet to be revealed — such as whether it will be a ballistic or cruise missile — nor have costs or a manufacturer been disclosed.
Beyond the long-range strike, the latest agreement also builds off the Anglo-German Trinity House Agreement on bilateral defense cooperation signed last year. Today’s agreement, which also covers changes to tackling illegal migration, includes a plan to “boost” export sales of Boxer armored vehicles and Eurofighter Typhoon fourth generation fighter jets.
As Breaking Defense reported last month the Eurofighter consortium, comprised of home nations Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, are chiefly targeting four export campaigns to dramatically increase production long term: Austria, Poland, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
The UK, together with France, have already signaled that they plan on jointly replacing the Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missile, or SCALP, in French service through the Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapons (FC/ASW) program, led by European missile house MBDA. Under that effort plans are in motion to develop a low observable cruise missile and a highly maneuverable supersonic munition.
Both Germany and the UK are also part of the multinational European Long Range Strike Approach (ELSA) program that aims to develop a ground-launched cruise missile with a range of 1,000 to 2,000 kilometers.
The spate of emerging long-range weapon initiatives involving the UK comes in the wake of the Ukraine war’s demonstration of the need for investment in enhanced air defenses to deter Russian aggression.