UK and France sign new weapon system agreement

Defence Minister Harriett Baldwin and her French counterpart Laurent Collet-Billon have signed an agreement to explore future missile technologies with MBDA.

The agreement begins a three year concept phase to develop future long range weapons for the British and French Navies and Air Forces, with each country contributing €50 million.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Defence, the Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon programme will explore options to replace and improve existing Naval and Air Force weapons systems in the next decade.

The programme 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 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.”

French Minister of Defence Procurement Laurent Collet-Billon adde4d: “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.”