Britain is set to join a European initiative to develop long-range missiles.
As per Reuters, this news was confirmed by Defence Secretary John Healey on Thursday, October 17, during a meeting with NATO counterparts in Brussels.
This step aims to address the military shortages exposed by Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Healey said in a statement, "We are making a UK commitment to the long-range missile programme, a formal commitment alongside Germany, France, Poland and a couple of others."
However, he did not provide any further details about the range of the planned weapon, saying, "This is long-range compared to the capabilities that many of us already have and are able to use.”
At a NATO summit in Washington in July, France, Germany, Italy and Poland signed a letter of intent to develop missiles with a range of more than 500 km (310 mi).
According to military sources, the aim was to develop new land-based cruise missiles with a range of 1,000 to 2,000 kilometers to meet NATO's demand for such a capability.
Meanwhile, the United States and Germany revealed in Washington that they will begin the temporary deployment of American long-range missiles on German soil in 2026.
