It comes as the two countries announced a new ‘entente industrielle’ during the French president’s state visit to the UK. 

France and the UK will acquire more Storm Shadow cruise missiles and advance work on its replacement under a new ‘entente industrielle’.  

Unveiled in a UK Government press release on 9 July, the entente industrielle aims to deepen industrial cooperation, mirroring the long-standing ‘entente cordiale’ which has come to symbolise relations between France and the UK.  

Key to this new entente industrielle agreement are the Storm Shadow missiles, known as ‘SCALP’ in France, which were first developed by the two countries in 1994, in cooperation with MBDA. They have been used extensively, including by Ukraine. 

Although additional missiles are being acquired, the statement did not provide details regarding how many units.  

In the coming years, Storm Shadow will subsequently be succeeded by a new, more lethal next-generation deep strike capability as part of the joint initiative, the UK Government press release detailed.  

The UK Ministry of Defence could not comment on the number of Storm Shadow missiles being procured; however, a spokesperson told DSEI Gateway that the two countries are moving from the assessment to the development stage of the new missile.

"This will see a finalisation of the design, production of prototypes, and preparation for manufacturing", they added, noting that "deliveries will commence from 2031".

While not named in the release, it is widely expected that this comes under the Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon (FC/ASW) programme. 

AI will be incorporated into co-developed missiles and drones, with both countries looking to leverage new technologies to increase the lethality of their munitions. 

Meanwhile, beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles will be developed for use by both air forces. 

The entente industrielle also includes plans to work closely to develop “new advanced weapons”, starting with microwave weapons and jamming equipment, the statement says. 

The new agreement is part of a refresh of the wider Lancaster House agreement, first signed between the two nations in 2010. 

The French president’s visit to the UK also saw him agree to greater nuclear cooperation with the UK, marking a first-of-its-kind agreement between the two nuclear powers, the release stated. 

“Any adversary threatening the vital interests of Britain or France could be confronted by the strength of the nuclear forces of both nations”, according to the UK Government. 

This article has been updated to include comments from the UK Ministry of Defence.

DSEI Gateway News is part of DSEI UK and the broader Clarion Defence portfolio. 
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