Britain and France are to order more highly lethal Storm Shadow cruise missiles, while stepping up work on its replacement as part of a new refreshed agreement signed on Thursday the 10th of July.
The new agreement will see the UK and France commit to launch the next phase of their joint project for both deep strike and anti-ship missiles a step closer to selecting a final design for Storm Shadows replacement.
The joint development effort will sustain 1,300 highly skilled jobs across the UK, boosting the economy in line with the Governments Plan for Change. Upgrading the existing Storm Shadow production lines will support more than 300 jobs at manufacturer MBDA.
The Prime Minister and President Emmanuel Macron will also today agree to deepen their nuclear cooperation and work more closely than ever before on nuclear deterrence.
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 co-ordinated, and that there is no extreme threat to Europe that would not prompt a response by both nations.
As such, any adversary threatening the vital interests of Britain or France could be confronted by the strength of the nuclear forces of both nations. Co-operation between both countries on nuclear research will also deepen, while working together to uphold the international non-proliferation architecture.
The UK and France are Europes only nuclear powers, with deterrents that contribute significantly to the overall security of NATO and the Euro-Atlantic.
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